A rude Jolt for a creator
Mark Robinson was watching television when he got a rude jolt – his invention, Jolt My Car, had appeared on screen under a different name, marketed by a different company.
Mark Robinson was watching television when he got a rude jolt – his invention, Jolt My Car, had appeared on screen under a different name, marketed by a different company.
Paparazzi pose a strange problem to celebrities – they make money off the photos they take of the celebrities, while the celebrities do not make a cent. So it is a kind of poetic justice when celebrities start stealing photos from paparazzi, usually when they copy the photos from the website of a news outlet that has licensed the photos.
The Malaysian branch of major international advertising agency TBWA has found itself infused in hot water over claims a slogan for a bubble tea franchise was copied from a local motorcycling lifestyle brand.
The slogan "Never fear the strong. Especially strong tea" was recently adopted by Tealife in a major rebranding exercise (forced upon owner Loob Holdings by a dispute dubbed the "bubble tea
Even politics is not immune to idea theft. While political parties generally try to attract voters by being different from other parties, sometimes adopting the policies of others and calling them your own is a better strategy.
Good ideas can make or break a TV show - especially in reality TV. So it's no wonder writers are tempted to copy ideas from already successful shows. But does that make it right?
Rock band U2 is being sued by guitarist Paul Rose for ripping off his sound for their hit track The Fly.
Advertising agencies have long asked prospective clients to pay pitch fees, to compensate them for the time and effort that goes into creating pitches - even if they end up unsuccessful. Singapore's Central Provident Fund is now offering such fees. In general, we don't advocate pitch fees because it could reduce your claim to compensation if you lose a pitch, but your ideas are used anyway.
T-shirt designs to support native Americans in the Dakota Access Pipeline dispute are themselves subject of dispute, with lots of rip offs jumping onto the bandwagon.
There are lessons for anyone with an idea in Google's suit against Uber over self-driving technology.
The fashion industry is particularly rife with idea theft. Better PitchMark your designs before you pitch them to a fashion design house.
How to protect your brilliant idea from being stolen? Technology writer Mehul Rajput has given the issue some thought, specifically as it relates to smart phone apps. He sees these as the latest virtual "picks and shovels" for Creators to mine the treasured seams of internet gold and quickly turn a dream into a fortune. But he has this warning.
"If you, too, are an entrepreneur in the area of m
Comedian Conan O'Brien is defending himself against claims by another comedian that he stole his jokes.
PitchMark deters idea theft and provides you with options if it happens.
PitchMark protects the expression of your original concepts, designs, proposals, business plans, creative pitches, music - in short, any idea that you conceived and published, and claim as your own. It gives you peace-of-mind by signalling to whoever you share it with that you are its creator, and that you wish to be respected as such.
If you receive or evaluate ideas or pitches, join PitchMark as a sign of your commitment to respect the Intellectual Property rights of their creators. Attract more in-depth pitches from a wider range of sources. Highlight your PitchMark membership in your Sustainability or CSR Report.