It is the true story of Robert William Kearns, or Bob Kearns, the inventor who came up with the intermittent windshield wiper. He had tried to sell his idea to Ford, Chrysler and General Motors but all three did not show any interest, although Ford had asked him to prepare a cost analysis.
Despite the rejection, these companies proceeded to install the intermittent windshield wiper which Kearns had patented. It was at the launch of the latest Ford Mustang that Kearns discovered that his idea had been stolen as the intermittent windshield wiper – which Kearns invented based on the blinking action of the human eye – became the car’s main selling point.
The invention was his "flash of genius"; patent law terminology meaning that an idea for an invention could come to someone out of nowhere irrespective of his skills, experience or knowledge over the matter.
Between 1978 and 1990, Kearns fought what is arguably the most famous patent infringement case in US history as he sued Ford. His fight for justice consumed him so much that his marriage ended in divorce. The film almost accurately depicted Kearns’s story, where he even represented himself as lawyers were reluctant to take on a powerful corporation and an American institution.
I wondered how many of us would have gone all the way as Kearns did – fighting for one’s principles no matter what the cost. Perhaps in Kearns’s world, he was confident enough as he had the solid backing of the US Constitution and an infallible legal system.
We root for people like Kearns because everyone wants to see the underdog win.
It is sad when giving due credit is sometimes akin to donating a kidney. Perhaps it is politically expedient for some to deny the contributions of some because it helps to maintain the natural order of things and you wouldn’t want to disrupt a sensitive eco-system.
Having such an attitude is not only unfair to those wronged and uncredited, it is also disruptive to progress when people are not recognised for their skills and contributions.
Intellectual theft is not only limited to property and ideas. It is a crime when it also usurps one’s passion and dilutes one’s contribution to society. So yes, while there are many Bob Kearns in our backyard, how many among the likes of the Ford Motor Company that he had to battle are out there?
