I was exploring the options for production of a furniture piece I have been developing and stumbled across a GREAT  discussion on intellectual property at Core77.com

http://www.core77.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/003661.html

It reminded fledging designers not to get mired in the temporal and monetary black hole that can be Intellectul Property (Patents, copyrights, trademarks, etc.)  and in doing so it touched on a topic I wrote on in an earlier post, which I thought I’d re-share…

In the past, wanting to protect and preserve ownership of my ideas has been a stumbling block in my creative process.
(This was due to very early seeing how many  ideas had seen going into production, which appeared to spring right from the pages of my sketchbook- To my Shock and fury, without any type of accreditation!!  Here are some examples of some of my early design projects… and they’re production versions)

As I matured and gained more experience, I learned to recognize that an Idea is just that: It is only an idea.

It is abstract, it is potential, it is ether…
It is he who puts in the effort to bring that idea to fruition who earns and deserves credit.

Originality is in the action, not in the thought.
Two people may very well come across the same idea, and execute it in two different ways!

Not to mention there are 4 more than billion people on the planet; With more access to information, education, science, technology, publication, and production than ever; The old addage that there is “no such thing as an original idea” was never truer than now!

Doing things for the sake of pure originality is at best vain exercise in futile endeavors: I strive for excellence.

It is he who best makes the idea that will shine.

Products take millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours to research, develop, and produce. Not to mention various levels and types of expertise that the original inventor may not have or even hace access to!
Intellectual property rights and laws are there to protect BUSINESS, not to stroke or protect the egos of artists and creative workers.
Often the bottom line speaks volumes- he who did it first has the claim, but he did it BEST will be the most productive. Segueing into another philosophical realm; In our free-market economy this is best measured by market success: Therefore, he who ”best” has developed, manufactured, marketed, and sold that idea is best.

So, my creative brethren. Heed this ; forge ever forward.
Inspire, be inspired, manifest, transform… but PRODUCE

Lest someone else do it better.