In a recent discussion among patent attorneys and engineers, the question was asked about the requirement of originality before something can be issued a patent. Younger engineers tend to have the belief that only truly original ideas can be patented. That is not the case. In fact, when you file a patent application, you have to present the “prior art” — work that came before your patent on which your idea is based. Is anything truly original

If we are honest with ourselves, we can trace back any idea we come up with  to something that inspired us. Look around and there are numerous examples — such as music sampling. Is a song that uses samples an original piece of music?

When I started podcasting +9 years ago, I was early in the space but not the first. I was inspired by others such as Adam Curry (who mentioned my podcast on his show and put it on the map). My inspiration for producing the podcast didn’t stop there. I can trace my inspiration back to 1981 and Earl Nightingale who produced a monthly cassette tape for his listeners of which I was rapid follower. We are all inspired by something or someone.

Listen to this week show, Is Anything Truly Original?