<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><br><div><div>On Apr 12, 2013, at 6:23 AM, Tom Igoe wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><a href="http://www.quirky.com/ge">http://www.quirky.com/ge</a><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', 'Hiragino Sans GB', STXihei, 微软雅黑, serif; "><p style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', 'Hiragino Sans GB', STXihei, 微软雅黑, serif; margin-top: 0px; "><a href="http://newsletter.makezine.com/t/r-l-otjdyht-jttikjulyh-d/" style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', 'Hiragino Sans GB', STXihei, 微软雅黑, serif; color: rgb(47, 130, 222); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; ">Quirky</a>, the crowdsourced hardware startup that develops and sells modest gadgets like egg yolk extractors and ear bud holders,<a href="http://newsletter.makezine.com/t/r-l-otjdyht-jttikjulyh-h/" style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', 'Hiragino Sans GB', STXihei, 微软雅黑, serif; color: rgb(47, 130, 222); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; ">announced a partnership</a> on Wednesday with <a href="http://newsletter.makezine.com/t/r-l-otjdyht-jttikjulyh-k/" style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', 'Hiragino Sans GB', STXihei, 微软雅黑, serif; color: rgb(47, 130, 222); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; ">GE</a>, the global corporation that makes jet engines and wind turbines.</p><div><br></div></span></div></div></blockquote><br></div><div>An interesting development, but it looks like you'll only be able to design around said patents if your product is approved by Quirky and sold/manufactured through them, and their past behavior with OXO makes me concerned about their future behavior with other independents. </div><div><br></div><div>I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Quirky, and their business. This seems more like a ploy to find additional revenues for GE through Quirky (with additional benefit to Quirky, of course), than any real opening up of the patents. GE could just do that, but they've chosen to restrict the channel to one manufacturer/distributor, with what appears to be a review board for approval to even make a design around one.</div><div><br></div><div>Chris</div><br></body></html>