In a recent discussion among patent attorneys and engineers, the question was asked about the requirement of originality before something can be issued a patent. Younger engineers tend to have the belief that only truly original ideas can be patented. That is not the case. In fact, when you file a patent application, you have to present the “prior art” — work that came before your patent on which your idea is based. Is anything truly original
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If we are honest with ourselves, we can trace back any idea we come up with to something that inspired us. Look around and there are numerous examples — such as music sampling. Is a song that uses samples an original piece of music?
When I started podcasting +9 years ago, I was early in the space but not the first. I was inspired by others such as Adam Curry (who mentioned my podcast on his show and put it on the map). My inspiration for producing the podcast didn’t stop there. I can trace my inspiration back to 1981 and Earl Nightingale who produced a monthly cassette tape for his listeners of which I was rapid follower. We are all inspired by something or someone.
Listen to this week show, Is Anything Truly Original?
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