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What's It Like to Be an Inventor?

by Warren Riddle on September 8, 2009 at 09:30 AM

If you've ever dreamed of striking it rich with a groundbreaking invention, you may want to read designer Dominic Hargreaves's cautionary testimonial before embarking on a quest to become the next Thomas Edison or George Washington Carver.

Writing for the BBC, Hargreaves, the creator of a folding bicycle and a scooter-slash-backpack called the Transporter, describes the hazards and hindrances that may impede innovative ideas on the path to materialization.

According to Hargreaves, the ambiguous rules and regulations regarding patents and intellectual property rights are among the primary forces working against independent inventors. He also says that governments need to get involved in order to help support debt-ridden innovators, because it "is essential that there are suitable grants offered to people with ideas."

The piece is a must-read for anyone aspiring to devise the next get-rich-quick gadget. As Hargreaves makes it abundantly clear, no matter the fantastic characterizations and portrayals of inventors in books and on TV, it's not all fortune, glory, DeLoreans, and Flux Capacitors. [From: BBC News]

Tags: inventors, patents, top

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