Flash Of Genius, which opens at theaters today, is such a TTAC movie. It’s a story of automotive invention and one man’s struggles against the corrupt practices of an industry that stole his patented intermittent wiper design. Hell, it’s already got Ford’s PR flacks in a frenzy. Automotive News [sub] is reprinting its take on the eventually happy conclusion of the Bob Kearns story today, in honor of the film’s release. The story, dating from December 16, 1991 (this blogger’s ninth birthday), reports the successful conclusion of Kearns’ patent lawsuit against Chrysler. Having already won a $10.2m settlement against Ford, Kearns was asking for $39m from Chrysler for stealing his invention. After 13 years of litigation and $10m in legal fees, Kearns had finally beat the industry that so viciously screwed him. Check out the movie that retells the story of his invention and legal battles, opening today at theaters near you.
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Do they really believe that cars before ’67 had no wipers? Do they really not understand he invented the “intermittent” wiper, not the wiper?
Wow.
um The story, dating from December 16, 1991 (this blogger’s ninth birthday)
Really?
“The story, dating from December 16, 1991 (this blogger’s ninth birthday)”
You were born in 1982?! Do me a cheesy quaver! :O)
As Paul Harvey might say, “Now for the rest of the story…”
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1993/01/11/1993_01_11_038_TNY_CARDS_000363341
I had a ’67 Comet Cyclone (but not til ’70). It had the intermittent wipers and they were the coolest thing since sliced bread. I told anyone that asked that the windshield had a ‘raindrop counter’ that triggered the wipers. Might as well have, for all we knew. :)
Oh, so I guess I have a bit more ‘experience’ than our resident blogger!
Dang, RF, I didn’t realize you were just a kid like me!
Some day that generation will be in the White House.
To TonyTiger “I told anyone that asked that the windshield had a ‘raindrop counter’…”.
That’s brilliant.
History is rife with such stories.
Armstrong, who fought RCA over his stolen FM radio patents – jumped off a skyscraper out of sheer frustration and despair. His widow, however, won – decades later.
Philo Farnsworth, who also fought RCA over his stolen electronic television patents – won – it took decades. To this day, the RCA propaganda that RCA’s Zworekin (sp) “invented” electronic television is “accepted knowledge” – and wrong.
REO engineers invented the “self-shifting” transmission and actually put it into production in 1933 (and successfully manufactured and marketed it through 1936 when they gave up auto production to concentrate on trucks). 99.9% of “car guys” when asked will opine the standard answer that GM’s Hydramatic was the first automatic transmission in 1939, or Oldsmobile’s Safety Transmission was, in 1938. Both wrong.
Many of Nikola Tesla’s patents were stolen, including the Alternating Current patents which Westinghouse stole from him – by not ever paying him the agreed to license fees. He’d have been the world’s first BILLIONAIRE – and he died penniless.
Good luck on Mr Kearns ever getting one red cent out of the Chinese, BTW.
RF only looks 49 (or is it 50?); blogging really takes a toll on a 26 year-old, especially one with four kids, some of them teens!! He must have started early.
Wow, blogging must be like smoking two packs a day and drinking a quart of scotch (after 5pm of course) at the same time.
Landcrusher: +1
Cars have had wipers almost since the beginning, as we all know. It’s true that the first ones were hand operated with a little knob above the windshield, correct?
Menno: Just wondering, was the 1933 REO transmission fully automatic, with no clutch pedal? If so, I wasn’t aware of that, always thought the GM Hydramatic was first.
I do know that many cars through the early 50s had semi-automatic trannies, where there was either a clutch pedal or you had to shift the gears at least once from going to a stop up to highway speed. (And of course, the VW Beetle had such a setup into the late 60s, if not even later.)
I am, indeed, 49 years old. I forgot to change the byline to Mr. Edward Niedermeyer. That has been rectified. Meanwhile, I remind you that getting old is not for sissies. Apropos of nothing much.
Old man NIEDERMEYER obviously means that’s the date he was Born Again. Hallelujah
So did this guy go after the Asians and the Europeans too?
After 13 years of litigation and $10m in legal fees, Kearns had finally beat the industry that so viciously screwed him.
Certainly made some lawyers happy.
I should have recognized the year of my son’s birth!
@joeaverage
He sued almost every large automaker in the world, around 30 in total.
Sears used the “power” of deep corporate pockets and its in-house pack of lawyers to fend off an inventor for years.
“Peter Roberts invented a quick-release ratchet wrench that enabled a mechanic to change sockets with one hand.”
I believe that refers to the nifty little button you push at the ratchet’s top to allow the socket to be released.
URL is lengthy but a Google will allow you to find the whole story.
It’s sad how corporations, with their wealth and influence and their teams of in-house lawyers have such an incredible advantage over the typical Joe and/or Jane SixPack.
Not a total advantage bur those who have even a basic knowledge of the realities of the legal system are aware of how powerless the invidual is in comparison to corporate America.
@ Menno:
Westinghouse didn’t rob Tesla, it was Edison who did that. At the time, Westinghouse’s company was in a death struggle with Edison’s. Tesla had a contract with Westinghouse requiring royalty payments for the patents sold to Westinghouse. Westinghouse informed Tesla that the Westinghouse Company could not remain competitive against Edison if Tesla insisted on receiving the royalty payments to which he was entitled. Tesla tore up the contract with Westinghouse, essentially giving away his patents to Westinghouse. Tesla didn’t have to do that. I suppose it had something to do with a sense of honor that comes in handy when fighting off Turks in the Balkans, but makes you a broke-ass loser when dealing with American businessmen(who don’t know anything about personal honor).
Edison, on the other hand, promised Tesla $50K for improving the the efficiency of Edison’s DC generating equipment. Tesla went to work without a contract. After Tesla completed the work, and asked Edison for his money, he was informed by Edison, “My dear Mr. Tesla. You don’t understand our American sense of humor!”
“Westinghouse didn’t rob Tesla, it was Edison who did that. At the time, Westinghouse’s company was in a death struggle with Edison’s.”
Funny how history is never taught like this in schools (at least around here).
“He sued almost every large automaker in the world, around 30 in total.”
Yeah..and he lost when the legal system came to their senses.
Seriously this is an utter crock and belittles the real advancements made in wiper technology made by Lucas, Bosch, trico etc…