mel jacobson on sun 23 mar 03
just a couple of side notes:
several eastern countries do not honor patents.
just a fact.
it is easy for knock-offs to appear before
one can get to the public with a new product.
they do not care, in fact they encourage legal
action. you can get tied up in court for years
and still not get your product produced. and no
legit company will touch your product while you are
under the legal action...you become a ghost.
we are totally changing `tick-attack`s name...to avoid
such a hassle.
one small horror story. a fellow in minneapolis (friend in our
inventors group, real guy) invented a new wrench. he was
showing at an inventors conference. (bad idea) one was stolen from his
display.
that wrench showed up on the american tool market six
months later. it was the same wrench, same color and even had
his serial numbers on it. he was screwed. the product was far
inferior in quality, but the patent and idea was gone for him.
it is the same with spam and african scams. they are out
there, and fools often fall for them. they are looking for one
fool, and often find one. same with the wrench, if you are going
to produce it, don't show it off too much in public til you are
ready. morality is not a common sister in international commerce.
(don't start politics here.)
this is not about poor workers, price setting, exploitation of nations.
it is about flat out greed and fraud.
that is what makes us angry as designers. people think we are
fools and weak. (often correct.) they just rob from us all the time.
i saw a set of my drawings show up on a ride at disneyland years
ago. did some work for a guy...he disappeared. the drawings made
him a ton of money. never saw him again. and, of course i was a fool
for not having a signed contract and money up front. it was all about
`hey, mel, you are a great guy`. no, fool is a better description.
i am much smarter.
but, we all hate to see our work duplicated, processed and thrown
in our faces. it is happening every day. and the labels are very
deceiving. wendy rosen is so angry that she is threatening to go
to congress. she will need our support and help if that happens.
it will have to be a champion like wendy if we want any help as potters.
clayart can be a source of communication for information.
this is a very serious issue. not just american, but world wide.
it is a scam of horrific proportions. we must be aware.
there are folks out there, wandering through art fairs, looking
for good designs to steal. they are in the far east over night.
just like a bad virus, flu or illness. just one plane trip away.
i do not have answers for `worker exploitation`. it is of course
serious...but, don't cloud the issue with emotional debate about
the down trodden, when the issue is theft of our rights.
one debate at a time. (it does not mean we do not care.) we are talking
about theft and scam.
that is my concern and it is real.
so wake up/be aware/fight back.
remember, make quality, think quality, and develop customers
that respect quality. if your market is the same as buy crafter quality
macaroni on a soda bottle vases...well, expect that mentality from your
customer. remember, the biggest venues at the `uptown art fair` and
biggest money makers are `beer and food`. (and of course, the fee
collected from the artists.)
mel
the day the local merchants started collecting money from
the artists to `promote their area` i walked away...never
went back. it was a protest that i still believe in. now art
fairs have sponsors, just like stadiums....`excel energy uptown art fair`.
sick. and promoters make tons of money....they sure don't share
it with the artists.
for years i had a backyard sale the same time as the uptown.
i made three times the money that i would have at the uptown....
and did not have to pack one pot...except to do it for a customer.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.TICK-ATTACK.COM
Susan Setley on sun 23 mar 03
In a message dated 3/23/03 9:29:26 AM, melpots@PCLINK.COM writes:
<< it is the same with spam and african scams. they are out
there, and fools often fall for them. they are looking for one
fool, and often find one. same with the wrench, if you are going
to produce it, don't show it off too much in public til you are
ready. morality is not a common sister in international commerce.
(don't start politics here.)
>>
There was a story in the media some years ago about a 14 year old girl who
invented a gadget to broil bacon in the microwave. It involved draping the
bacon over an a-frame that allowed the fat to drain off.
Her father helped her make a protoype, and they patented it. She made money
for about six months, and then someone stole the idea -- a major
manufacturer. The child and her family had the patnet but not the deep
pockets it would have taken to defend it. The big company won. I don't want
to say the name of the company because I'm not sure I recall it accurately.
Catherine White on sun 23 mar 03
My eldest daughter bought one of the mass marketed microwave bacon drapers.
She called me in a fury after it melted in the microwave.
Many thanks,
Catherine in Yuma, AZ
----- snip-----
> There was a story in the media some years ago about a 14 year old girl who
> invented a gadget to broil bacon in the microwave. It involved draping the
> bacon over an a-frame that allowed the fat to drain off.
>
> Her father helped her make a protoype, and they patented it. She made
money
> for about six months, and then someone stole the idea -- a major
> manufacturer.
Susan Setley on sun 23 mar 03
In a message dated 3/23/03 2:00:58 PM, ncwhite@ADELPHIA.NET writes:
<< My eldest daughter bought one of the mass marketed microwave bacon drapers.
She called me in a fury after it melted in the microwave.
Many thanks,
Catherine in Yuma, AZ >>
Does my heart good that it melted!!
Catherine White on sun 23 mar 03
For the record, this meltdown happened ages ago. She's older now and tries
to buy only "Made in the USA"
Catherine in Yuma, AZ
----- snip-----
> In a message dated 3/23/03 2:00:58 PM, ncwhite@ADELPHIA.NET writes:
>
> << My eldest daughter bought one of the mass marketed microwave bacon
drapers.>
> She called me in a fury after it melted in the microwave.
>From: "Susan Setley"
> Does my heart good that it melted!!
>
>
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