re: #367 Dr. Shalit

EmmmieG -

Actually Farnsworth and RCA were working on similar projects. Zworkin was sent to Farnsworth as an Industrial Spy. RCA realized that Farnsworth WAS ahead of them and offered to buy him out. They bid too low (about 100K as I recall) and the rest is history. Farnsworth and RCA settled after extended litigation. What RCA did to Armstrong, the inventor of FM Radio, is far worse.

-S-

During our unit on waves, I actually had a talk to my homeschool science class about Brother Farnsworth, because he was LDS (admittedly not particularly devout.), and so are the kids. The legal system definitely failed him, although he was able to watch the lunar landing before he died, and was thrilled with being able to do that.

I just wonder if there is some inventor somewhere getting the same treatment right now. As overgrown as our legal system is, it doesn’t work as well as I wish it did.