Mises Wire

Inventor versus innovator

Inventor versus innovator

If you missed it, the creator of Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg), a popular social networking website, was sued three years ago by a company he had previously worked at.

The lawsuit lists a number of allegations, including the fact that Zuckerberg "took the original idea" and appropriated it for his own gain.

While the lawsuit is still ongoing, a recent post over at Found|Read discusses the differences between inventing and innovating. Among other ideas mentioned is the role an entrepreneur plays in bringing a good or service to the market.

From a keen observer:

I'd rather be known as an innovator. Anybody can come up with an idea, but an idea is worthless unless it's acted upon and properly executed (innovation).

And to the delight of IP lawyers everywhere, the litigious fight over innovation can be seen time and again in disputes such as NTP versus RIM (creator of the Blackberry).

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