Rise Up! Quirky Seeks Justice for Inventor Bill Ward
posted ago by baron
As a haven for transparent online collaboration, Quirky must strive to protect the interests of its inventors and influencers. While this customarily takes the form of patents and long-winded legal proceedings, there are select instances where you have to pick up a sign, slap on a mask, and get a little angry.
That’s exactly what happened in Manhattan this morning, when an intrepid troop of Quirky staffers took to the streets to protest the appropriation of Bill Ward‘s Broom Groomer design by the product company OXO. The demonstration kicked off at 8:30am, and was based outside the offices of both OXO and Smart Design, the consultancy that designed the product in question. Protesting staff members carried signs, chanted slogans, and donned t-shirts proclaiming “Justice for Bill Ward”, braving the frigid cold to serve as the voice of Ward and the product’s 347 other influencers. While public demonstrations may not be a mainstay here at Quirky, we’re hoping the message was clear: don’t mess with our inventors.
As staff members gathered in the early hours of the morning, Quirky Retail’s Niki Zdanow prepped her protest gear.
Quirky’s demonstration wasn’t limited to staff: product model and community champ PJ Shaw got in on the action as well (with his father Steven Shaw, of course).
Quirky staffers rocked custom t-shirts as they marched, depicting inventor Bill Ward and the names of 347 slighted community influencers.
Once the demonstration hit the streets, Quirky CEO Ben Kaufman took charge of the crowd, megaphone in hand.
For a portion of the day, West 26th Street was transformed into a civil campaign for justice, as Quirky staffers marched to protest the appropriation of an inventor’s intellectual property.
With his protest sign held high, Head of Research, Development and Profoundness John Jacobsen brought a philosopher’s perspective to the demonstration.
Quirky staffers carried signs, donned masks, and chanted slogans through megaphones, spreading the word across the streets of Manhattan.
Broom Groomer in hand, the Community team’s Darryl Wong and Andrew Erlick voice their discontent.
Comments (83)
Bill Lee
Questions?
bob wezer
well, what did oxo have to say?
Paul Patrocky
+1 Q staff, it's good to see a company driven to support it's own....
Hobo_Kreg
Probably tossed cauldrens of boiling oil on their heads!
Michael Kloeckner
Quirks, share this message. Send it out to the world.
Susan Saver
It's nice to see a company behind their "Business Family" The message is clear here. Thank you Also great advertising....
Crreate
That's good what you did! I just wonder what could be done legally in this case?
Deborah Fenker
I don't get it.. what did OXO do? Did they make their own version of it for sale?
Roomies
Another example of why I have absolute respect for Quirky and the Quirky Staff!
Deepthinker
this is why i bring you all my ideas good for all of you
JonesAndJones
Way to go, Quirky!
Carla Holt
Quirky, I applaud your spiritual efforts to put the word out regarding the disservice presently in front of you. Unless you plan on taking the next step; legal satisfaction, you are doing other community members a disservice using manpower that can be used back at the home front. Now get back to work, we want the same vigor, manpower, and spirit, as well getting our product to market. The party is over, now back to work.:)I shall tweet and share this on facebook, something most members will most likely do.
Ernesto Tan
Those OXO People are bunch Thieves and Loosers!
MarcR
Thank you for sticking up for us. Lots of mixed messages and feeling going around on this issue but when it all boils down I'm thrilled to see the Q staff out there fighting the battle on our behalf. I don't think I have ever seen a company do something quite like this. Guess that's why you are called Quirky. Keep up the good fight.
Thrifty
how much did this stunt cost and what was the payback? in financial terms?
Thrifty
ohh one other thing where im from OXO means Gravy, its a brand of stock Cube :)
bill ward
bill ward
What an honor to know Quirky and friends have my back. To sit by and watch as they rip off one of our ideas is no alternative! Thank-you Thank-you Thank-you all for fighting for what's right!
Ernesto Tan
That was like an Epic Battle between Quirky and OXO for Bill Ward's Justice !
L.P.
What else is going to be done?
Megster
Great job Quirky! Very inspirational.
Patricia Reid
I think that it was great what the staff did. I feel supported.
Paulette Jaques
THAT WAS AWESOME!
Ken Somerby
There is a reason there is a court system..... I have a really bad feeling that this stunt is going to cost Quirky dearly:(
Susan Saver
Thrifty, you are right with the OXO, I know that name since I am a kid...it's also here in Canada. Now....could they have a problem with this name?
Susan Saver
History Notes for OXO OXO started life with the name of Liebig's Meat Extract. The product acquired the name of OXO in 1899. OXO was registered as a trademark in 1899 in Europe; in Great Britain in June 1900. Read more: http://www.cooksinfo.com/oxo#ixzz2Ikd1LPMN
Barbra Winston
so how can we help? should we email someone? ...give us direction...I am happy to help this cause...
Debra Courtenay
This is fantastic...way to go Quirky...thanks for looking out for us!
Sebastien Lauzon
Quirky is one BIG family, don't mess with my BRO ;) well done to all brave Q staff, message was heard!
Ernesto Tan
http://www.facebook.com/OXO Maybe you Post that Video to their Facebook Page! Let them eat some Dust! lol:D
Brandon Murray
Awesome guys! Occupy OXO :-)
Ken Y
Here are phone and fax numbers for OXO. I plan to call them tomorrow and let them know I have bought my last product from them. Phone: (800)545-4411 (US Inquiries Only) Fax: (717)709-5350 Let's all do our part.
Konstantin
That is so cool Quirky stands for it's inventors!
Yolanda Jackson
Kick Ass Q!!
iamJordan
Epic....
RickJ
mollo
what happens next? quirky take OXO to court?
Peter G.
Visiting Quirky.com after a long absence to see how things have progress to find this post... and I find it all a bit confusing... Was there patent protection on this particular idea with its dustpan tooth feature? Yes?/No? "While this customarily takes the form of patents and long-winded legal proceedings..." Yes, yes it does, and it works out pretty well in getting things aright.(thanx U.S. Constitution) ...So why the fuss?? ...what am I missing?
Vincent Vedie
0x0=0 they also copied the compact dustpan + brush : http://www.oxo.com/p-1208-compact-dustpan-brush-set.aspx#
ChesterCat
ChesterCat
LOL, way to go!
Momatthecape Kim Rumberger
I am glad Quirky is bringing this problem to light. My son's classmate at Wheaton College, Norton, Ma recently found and purchased a knock-off of Props made by iHip, and also this product is now out there: Check out this video - they even copied the adjustability.... http://www.zagg.com/audio/smart-buds.php I hope we have significant protection. They are SO simple and easy to reproduce.
Crreate
I don't see how Zagg product is a knock-off of Props.
Justin Giannone
Awesome display. Thanks for braving the bitter cold to fight.
BefromCle
Awesome! Hope you guys took the Jet Packs with hot chocolate:) super cold everywhere it seems. Keep up the good fight
DSerduke
It's great! Very inspirational. I think we must protect their products and inventions in court.
Amy1
Its so nice to know Q is right behind all of us .Kudos to all of you!!!
Jacob Maslow
Comment on their facebook page. This isnt right. https://www.facebook.com/OXO
Lorin Ryle
I am proud to be a Quirk :D
Chet Lau
Awesome to be part of this community!
Paulette Zdanow
OXO might be a big company but on my eyes, they are VERY SMALL if they need to still an idea to grow. Shame on them!!
Elizabeth Wingfield
I would like to see these same passions transferred to the Quirky process internally. I hope this is a good sign. Now, back to the streets--did you take the cocoa jet packs?
MacGeyer
I agree EW!
geoffrey roberts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OXO_Tower
Jacob Maslow
OXO Claims they improved upon an old patent (that presumably expired). http://www.google.com/patents/US1315310?printsec=drawing&dq=dustpan+teeth&ei=f3L9UN76GueM0QGls4FA#v=onepage&q=dustpan%20teeth&f=false
Janet Wilpan
Thanks Quirky!! I can now "sweep" at night!! What a great community!
Arianna Oxo
Hi Quirky, you guys have been asking for an answer. Here's our side of the story: http://www.oxo.com/quirkyresponse.aspx
julia troy
Kimberly Cleven
I have to say, it is really sad to see how much energy and money Quirky has spent trying to take down a company that has done the same thing Quirky has. I have seen products like the ones Quirky has done come out years before and yet there is no protest in front of Quirky, no shirts, no banner. Quirky is the new guy but from what I can tell has about as many workers as oxo right? So it is not the little guy against the big guy. If Quirky cared about people, what about those who worked at oxo? What about the customers who are watching this wondering why this was not handled like adults? I have to say, I have no connection to oxo beyond being a consumer. I admit though where as before this I might have purchased from Quirky, now I will not knowingly do so. What a sad thing, a community used as a hate group for publicity. Not impressed.
Stue Shames
Yeah its horrible to see inventors steal other ideas that came before them....http://www.oxo.com/app_themes/skin_2/images/oxo/afkelley.jpg
Yopi Djauhari
http://www.oxo.com/quirkyresponse.aspx
Clinton Fleenor
Despite OXO's response, the "right" and "wrong" of this isn't about legal terms, patents, and Quirky "improving products" too, etc. OXO implies that they have known about the BroomGroomer concept for a long time - after all, they point out it was patented in 1919. So, why did they wait until now to develop it? It appears that, whether they knew about it before or not, it was because they saw little Quirky experiencing success with it and decided to grab that for themselves. IMO that is bad form. Where is the prophet Nathan to confront OXO like he did King David over Bathsheba? (2nd Samuel 12). Here, in the community! We are 330,000 Nathans! Use us Quirky!
Paulette Blankenship
WTG QUIRKY!
Calum Ryan
wow, quirky, you guys got your asses handed to you by oxo in their response. how do you feel now? little sore?
Zeb Codresci
It is unconscionable for a company to engage in an public smear campaign without knowing the facts. When a company like Quirky does it - a company whose stock and trade is "inventors" scraping and monetizing ideas from public domain and/or lookalikes - it is a completely underhanded and ridiculous mockery of the process of innovation. You should consider yourselves lucky that OXO is taking the high road.
Joe Ernst
As a Quirky community member, as well as an influencer on the Broom Groomer product, I have to say I'm disappointed in the way Quirky is handling this. Quirky knew it was putting an un-protectable item into the marketplace, given the fact that the innovation was covered in the 1919 patent. If you put an unprotected idea into the marketplace, it WILL get copied if it's a good idea. Consider it validation of a good idea, and if you don't like getting copied, then don't make products that can't be protected.
iamJordan
I think that this may have put a target on our back now when it comes to all of our new kitchen or house ware related items. OXO may be mad enough now to try and copy everything that comes out of the QHQ kitchen...
iamJordan
I dont think OXO is publicly traded, I looked them up and found no results on any of the trading indices.
Trevor Johnson
Welcome to the big leagues, right? Great to see the grassroots nature of the organization is still in effect as things grow and expand. Any chance to get one of those t-shirts????!!!!
Mihai Dragulescu
Let me put things into perspective here: Bill Ward, as of this writing, has made $34,794 from the Broom Groomer. How much did this elaborate protest cost to put on? How much did it cost to print that banner, to make all those tshirts, and how many man-hours were lost? I'm not even sure poor Bill knows what happened yet, looking at his page. And over what... another 10 or 15 grand over the remaining lifetime of this product? Sorry guys, but that is NOT a lot of money anyone is losing for the size of the commotion you're making. Quirky seems to be more about theatrics than doing serious business. And speaking of serious business, since you're so into protecting Bill, did you tell him that you filed his patent after the 12-month window of going public with the idea... making it virtually unenforceable? I guess it's too hard to explain all that on a t-shirt.
Anne Jasse
OXO's gaining free publicity here .. hotel particulier
Nick Orme
Quirky fail...
Ed Hs
Oxo did well in addressing the ridiculous accusations. In case people missed it their "Note to the inventor community" on the side bar of their response is also really good. "Speed to market" offers weak IP protection and it's up to the inventor to be on top of the patent filings.
Matt White
Actually signed up for an account purely to post here. 1) Your over the top protest idea was stupid in the first place. 2) OXO appear to have demonstrated rather well that your pretext for the protest was stupid. 3) This has firmly put me off buying anything related to Quirky at any point. 4) Good job.
Rory Carlton
I have an idea for your next product. A foot-out-of-mouth extractor.
Lupo Tazler
Yeah, how is that PUBLIC helping of crow sandwich tasting? Nice job.
Patrick Hogan
And in the wake of OXO's response you all look like idiots. Good job, maybe next time to do a little research before claiming ownership and crying foul over similar products.
Yujean Yee
http://www.oxo.com/quirkyresponse.aspx Ouch.
Anthony Anderson
Shame on you Quirky. I hope OXO takes you to court and makes your company even weaker and more pathetic.
Anthony Anderson
OH AND I NEVER EVEN HEARD OF Quirky till now. Yes your lil stunt got me to know who you guys are, but now that I do, I will never buy one of your products. Back fired.
Michael Miraflor
I too have signed up here JUST to comment on this poorly conceived "protest". You are doing nothing to further crowd sourced ideas & development by pulling off this sort of bush league marketing stunt. It's embarrassing, really, and a waste of money for your company.
Cameron Spencer
Quirky has made a great point, that even though they weren't the first to invent the Broom Groom, they were the first in almost 100 years to resurrect it, rebrand it, invest in manufacturing, packaging, distribtion and marketing of it, all which take an incredible amount of blood, sweat and money, and to have someone ride off that investment, although legal, is really pathetic. Quirky have highlighted that until now only those with considerable resources can design, produce and patent inventions, and that for a well resourced company such as OXO to ride off the fruits of Quirky's crowd sourced model is a little shameful - if OXO spent more time dreaming up great ideas, instead of copying other's market successes and writing slick PR releases, then they would get more respect.
Cameron Spencer
A much better way than having a fight with money and lawyers!