Movie Review 6 - Flash of Genius

"Flash of Genius" tells a story about how a man, Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear), invented Blinking Wiper that could go on wiping even without the engine of the car running, in an intermittent pattern. He got this idea after an incident with a popping of the cork of a wine bottle to his eyes on his wedding night with Phyllis (Lauren Graham). Feeling lucky, Robert thought that he could make his own manufacturing company of his owns, with the board of directors consisting of his own family, and sell the Blinking Wipers throughout the world. However, seeing this as a very great invention, Ford Motor Company showed an interest in buying the invention so they could start installing it in their later car productions.

Damned be Robert, when Ford Motor Company suddenly pulled out from the deal and said that they were not sure to buy the Blinking Wipers just yet. It bummed Robert, but it bummed him more when he realized that Ford Motor Company actually used his idea and "reinvented" it on their own terms. Things started going downhill from that moment. Against everybody's wishes including his own wife, Robert was determined to fight for it, to fight for his invention. The company didn't want to bring this case to the court and offered Robert a generous $250000, but they wouldn't admit that they had infringed Robert's invention. More to Robert's sadness, Phyllis left him.

Robert went to the court, representing himself, and this time he was even more determined. Ford Motor Company offered him another generous sum of money to stop him from concluding in the court, $5 millions so he would back down but still, they wouldn't admit that they stole the idea. Asking his children, who finally came around and helped their father in this legal case, Robert decided that they would not stop. Finally, Robert, with the delights of everyone who supported him, won the case and was offered with $18.7 millions. He knew his battle was over.

The issue of intellectual property has been on the heat since long ago, and it is a serious infringement. That is why every university in this world has a strong rule against plagiarism, the act of "stealing" an idea without crediting the original source. You might be a big company, or a person who believes that you might get away this time, or the next time, or the next, but words are stronger and you are very likely to get caught. If you are, you'll be in trouble.

So, what did constitute 'original ideas'? Does it have to be perfectly new? or can it be a new invention if the inventor uses up components that already exist? One of the arguments of the lawyer of Ford Motor Company was that Robert didn't exactly invent something new because he did not invent the transistor, the variable resistor, or the capacitor. He just "arranged them into a new pattern." Well, this is how Robert answered them: Charles Dickens did not invent 'it,' 'or,' or 'the,' he just arranged the words to into a new pattern, but why was his "A Tale Of Two Cities" an original masterpiece? And he got that right.

Especially when you're a student, and you're still adjusting to the world of original ideas, or invention, or jumbling of words, it is very good to always remember that you have to be careful with using other people's ideas in your own works. If you have to, then credit them and do what's appropriate to make sure that you acknowledge that you're getting it from somewhere else, not from your own mind. It's good not just for your own student life, but your intellectual dignity.