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Patent Pending... Many great inventors didn't receive royalties on their inventions because (at the time) they were employed by corporations that owned the rights to any and all ideas that came about during their employment. It was commonplace to sign binding contracts when hired that included non-compete agreements after they left. I read that Tesla (for that very same reason) didn't get along with Edison. Edison was notorious for stealing the ideas of others as he had the finances and means to quickly get any idea patented before the original inventor could do so. Someone told me the guy who invented the intermittent windshield wiper drove around to show it off to some of the car manufacturers expecting one of them to buy his idea, but they all showed lack of a positive response. Soon after it was patented (without his knowledge) and appeared on the latest model cars. The inventor ended up with nothing. Is this story really true?? I didn't research it but it surely sounds plausible. In the 70's I did some freelance design work for a guy who claimed to be the inventor the rheostat. He was working for GE and they owned the rights to the invention. All he got was a paycheck. Maybe you have heard of DuPont Corian? It's composed of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate. I'm told it was a slurpy byproduct of another process from Dupont and difficult to dispose of. they started pouring it into pans to cool and soon realized the slabs created could be fabricated into countertops. DuPont did credit chemist Donald Slocum with the invention. I'm told there is another byproduct they couldn't get rid of that actually became the absorbent filling in disposable baby diapers! Last week I read a story about the man who invented the USB port (or significantly responsible for it's creation) and didn't ask for money. Open architecture that benefited everyone. His contribution literally revolutionized the computer and cellphone industry. Personally, I'm still working on the final details to a curved piece of wire that I can use to temporarily hold sheets of paper together that can be removed without harming the paper... Thanks for reading my blog! |
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Non disclosure agreement. I have a story about that.
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NotTooLate, I did some design work for a customer who wanted help creating a prototype from a design he thought up. I was working for a custom cabinet shop at the time and we agreed to take on the project. He insisted we sign non disclosure (and non compete) agreements that included protecting his patent rights. Basically it was adjustable shelves that were supported by a central tube mounted to a base. Pretty simple concept and clean looking. 20 years later I recall seeing the same product design in a mail order catalog for TV and stereo furniture. I often wonder if he sold the rights or if the patent ran out and was copied by someone already making stereo furniture.
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John, when I was very young I heard about mailing things to yourself and not opening the envelope as proof you were the first. Does that hold up in court? Let's say I have a really great idea/invention... or wrote a tune and mailed the music score to myself. Sitting on it for 10 years and someone patents the idea or records and publishes the tune... I would think it can be argued that 'sitting on it' didn't follow through with the idea.
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