

Inventor-populism movie Flash of Genius - intermittent-wiper story - DabAsteroid
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/23/flash-of-genius-film-reveals-dirty-history-of-intermittent-wiper

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DabAsteroid
The movie adopts a populist slant. A more-accurate take on the intermittent-
wiper story is over here:

[http://robertplattbell.blogspot.com/2008/04/we-have-met-
enem...](http://robertplattbell.blogspot.com/2008/04/we-have-met-enemyand-he-
is-us.html)

 _I'm sure you've head of Robert Kearns, "the windshield wiper guy". Kearns
will tell anyone who will listen how he has been screwed out of his invention
by the big car companies. Unfortunately, the reverse is true. According to the
Washington Post, Kearns was offered almost $30 million for his investment
(some sources say close to $50 million) in the 1970's, only to turn it down,
insisting that the car companies buy his invention directly from him. After
years of tedious litigation, and losing nearly everything (wife, health,
home), Kearns has finally won far less than the original offer, most of which
went to lawyer's fees.

It is very unfortunate, as Kearns perpetuates the myth of the big corporation
being out to "get" the little guy. Worse yet, inventors such as Kearns
convince many corporations to adopt an "NIH" (Not Invented Here) policy with
regard to outside inventions.

The tragedy of Kearns is that he has fought so long for what he believed are
the rights of the little guy -- while his battle has actually harmed the
chances of solo inventors in the future. Please don't do us any more "favors",
Mr. Kearns!

A good friend of mine recently took a job as corporate patent counsel for a
large sporting goods company. He has tried, mostly in vain, to get outside
ideas submitted by solo inventors considered by the company.

His biggest obstacle? Not management... Not the engineers... The inventors
themselves! Many inventors who have very good ideas fall into the same trap of
mistrust and vacillation. If the company expresses an interest in the
invention, the inventor immediately thinks that the company is going to
"screw" him. Eventually, management gets frustrated and drops the idea._

