Remember Robert Kearns? The inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper, whom Ford tried to screw over several decades back? Well there is now a movie about to debut on this called Flash of Genius, in which Ford is portrayed, not unexpectedly, as the bad guys.
Think the guys from Dearborn are happy about this, considering all the other stuff they are dealing with just trying to stay afloat?
"Ford sees no value in rehashing the history of a case that has already been resolved in a court of law almost 20 years ago," states Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Moore, repeatedly emphasizing: "It's a movie."
Asked whether Ford was concerned about the movie's impact on the company's image or consumers, Moore said, "our reputation is -- and should be -- based on our 100-year legacy of providing transportation to the world."
On the flip side, and as the nation ponders a $700-billion bailout package for Wall Street, this movie might strike a note with viewers, said Elayne Rapping, a professor of American studies who focuses on media and popular culture at the University of Buffalo. "I think that Ford is very vulnerable," she said.
redliner says:
07:28 AM, 09/29/08
Its Karma. Its coming back to bite ford in the a$$.
m_thrizzle says:
09:46 AM, 09/29/08
Why big corporations can't find the money to pay for someone else's invention is immoral and cheap. Seriously, these corps waste the same amount in a few months anyways.
billt9 says:
01:01 PM, 09/29/08
This is a movie. The real world isn't clear cut. There's 45256829536225723564 engineers in the world, and several people had the same idea at the same time, when the technological prerequisites were developed.
Kearns happened to settle in court that he's the first, ahead by 0.00001 second or some silly time frame, ahead of the other engineers.
billt9 says:
01:09 PM, 09/29/08
Many of us had the same experiences. You thought you had some behavior or thought that was unique, that was "be yourself".
Then you discover http://www.youtube.com/ and find out, "hey! That dude's just like me! And that one! And that one! Hey! They copied me!"
And if it's important to your self ego enough and it's a shrewd business proposition that could make your family set for life, you take them to court and say "I am number One!!!1111 All you loser copy cats, pay me! I'm going to be a beach bum and get me 20 hot chicks on rotation. Screw you all."
estreka says:
03:18 AM, 09/30/08
I doubt the movie will have much of an impact. I remember seeing the previews and thinking to myself, "do I really want to spent $10 to watch a movie about windshield wipers?"
Even now, I'll probably just Netflix it.
estreka says:
03:22 AM, 09/30/08
Just wait 20 years down the road when someone (hopefully not Michael Moore) directs a documentary about the Ford/Firestone fiasco.
brn says:
05:24 AM, 09/30/08
billt9, you don't understand. You must listen to one side of the story and draw an ignorant conclusion, that all corporations are pure evil. Movies don't lie.
ne1butu2 says:
07:26 PM, 09/30/08
And the sequel to this will be about rain sensing wipers. Then the rear wiper, headlamp wipers... then we move onto washer nozzles "The Squirt Returns!" This could be another movie franchise!
ateixeira says:
09:31 AM, 10/ 1/08
I laughed when Cadillac bragged that their heated winshield wiper fluid was a couple of degrees warmer than Buick's - then both were recalled for potential fires.
I doubt this will hurt Ford, they were already down 34% for September, it's hard to imagine things could get any worse.