Open Innovation
Open Innovation
(OP)
Dear Fellow Engineers:
Any thoughts or past experience cases coming from your interaction with so called "Open Innovation" sites, like NineSigma, for instance?
The overall legal setup of such sites looks kind of hazy. Apparently they are fishing for ideas, yet there seems to be no transparency in the submittion, selection, and final usage process of the submitted information. It looks like anyone submitting potentially great idea has no recourse/leverage over how it can be used and by whom. Looks bothersome to me. Any thoughts/observations on the subject?
Any thoughts or past experience cases coming from your interaction with so called "Open Innovation" sites, like NineSigma, for instance?
The overall legal setup of such sites looks kind of hazy. Apparently they are fishing for ideas, yet there seems to be no transparency in the submittion, selection, and final usage process of the submitted information. It looks like anyone submitting potentially great idea has no recourse/leverage over how it can be used and by whom. Looks bothersome to me. Any thoughts/observations on the subject?
Slawomir
www.pkerengineering.com





RE: Open Innovation
Never disclose ANYTHING about a product you have invented and might want to patent to anyone who has not signed a NDA.
Regards
Pat
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RE: Open Innovation
This is a concept that has lead to amazing things in software (Linux, Adempiere, etc.).
Note that companies can always take something "open" and make something "closed" by adding to it. Of course when you share up stuff you can't claim you own it.
For manufactured items, you can see some interesting consumer goods coming out of it. Quirky.com is an example on how this can work on a basic level.
I was not familiar with NineSigma.com. Thank you for sharing. They put open innovation as follows:
"Closed" Innovation Viewpoint
Nobody can know what we are innovating
"Open" Innovation Viewpoint
Nobody can know the confidential ideas that we are working on
"Closed" Innovation Viewpoint
Spending more on internal R&D will improve our market position and help us grow
"Open" Innovation Viewpoint
"Smart" innovators engage with the global innovation community and reap the highest returns
"Closed" Innovation Viewpoint
First-to-patent = highest profit
"Open" Innovation Viewpoint
First-to-market = highest profit
"Closed" Innovation Viewpoint
We need more R&D staff to close our knowledge gaps
"Open" Innovation Viewpoint
We need our R&D staff focused on our core competencies, allowing outside solution providers to provide the rest
RE: Open Innovation
RE: Open Innovation
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: Open Innovation
I appreciate your input but the business is more serious that it may appear to some of us. There seems to be, out there, a number of joints very likely supported by state or federal founds with the objective to envigorate and help to rebuilt innovative spirit of the American business. The buzzword is "innovation". Is it just a smoke-and-mirrors excuse to get public funding or is it a legitimate kind-of-well-meaning effort to move our economy from the dead spot? If these are honest ventures, how should it be handled? Please check with places like ninesigma.com and similar ones before coming to any profound conclusion.
Slawomir
www.pkerengineering.com
RE: Open Innovation
There are some collaborative sites that work, I just haven't seen it.
Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: Open Innovation
You are confirming my perception supported by some real-life experience. My objective here is to make the case of the "open innovation" really open. I think that sharing information on the subject may make a good public service.
Slawomir
www.pkerengineering.com
RE: Open Innovation
I just don't see humankind ever progressing to the level where nobody cares if their ideas are used to make others rich with only a pittance being tossed their way. Because, after all, 'tis money that makes the world go round.
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: Open Innovation
Also see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Hargrave
Regards
Pat
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