No idea is original, that’s what some might have you think. Though usually we like to rib phone manufacturers for suing one another over the design of a rectangular piece of glass that connects to a cellular signal, last week Gizmodo reported that the copycat fight spilled to housewares.
Today, OXO responded to Quirky’s accusations of stiffing inventors with a long read on what can be broken down to one premise: “No idea is original.” Not be out done by the mock (at least we hope they weren’t serious) protest last week, OXO took their own passive-aggressive stance by offering up some free “advice” to the burgeoning housewares maker:
[quote]Some important lessons
We recognize that Quirky is relatively new and there are a few things they are still figuring out. In the spirit of collaboration, we’d like to share some pointers as Quirky continues to iterate on its business model:
- Just because an idea was submitted does not mean that idea is original.
- Just because a product has launched does not mean it’s new. In fact, a similar product could have already been launched and discontinued.
- Just because a patent application was submitted does not mean the application has been reviewed or approved. It also doesn’t mean a patent will be issued.
[/quote]
