Back before the details on Segway were released and all the hype over "Ginger" was building in the press, Kamen said that his new invention would influence the design of cities. Having lived in SF for 3 years, I can say that it some parts are not currently compatible for Segway use. Fillmore street sidewalks, for instance, are not wide enough for segways and pedestrians. Geary sidewalks, on the other hand, are fine. SF would probably be better served if they restricted Segways only from certain areas (Fillmore Street, Union Square, Union Street, Chestnut, Haight Street, etc.). Tooling around the Presidio on one of these contraptions would be totally badass.
From Kamen's assertion about the design of cities, it sounds as if he might have expected segways to get limited usage in areas with high pedestrian traffic. It sounds like he was hoping cities would build Segway-lanes or something once the invention's benefits were proven.
Jethro Thomasson
Wow, several hundred posts on this. I may repeat something someone has already said (I lack the time to read all 400 predecessors). Apologies if I do.
Good advice for anyone who appreciates or fears an imminent legal attack is to not only save all correspondence (like someone above did mention) but to also create a log of all relevant incidents. Times and dates are key. Treat your log like a journal - it will prove indispensable should anything occur.
As for when you should get a lawyer, that depends really on what you hope to accomplish. If you simply want to fend off any attacks, I'd say wait until you get a letter from the CEO's lawyer, or you're served with something, or the CEO wants to meet with you. Until that point, a log and a record of correspondence will protect you fine. However, if you want (or need) to take a more aggressive defense position (for example if your reputation is at stake and his mere accusation is damaging), then you can get one right now and threaten an "abuse of process" claim or a defamation claim. Threatening someone with a lawsuit without grounds can give you a cause of action in certain situations. Abuse of process can be used either as a preemptive strike or as an effective counterattack.
As for posting stuff online, I'd recommend against it, as it won't accomplish anything constructive and you may end up shooting yourself in the foot (for example, if you accidently post something sensitive that would otherwise be covered by attorney-client privilege, posting it will dissolve that privilege).
I'm sure this is too much information, but we lawyers are prone to talk more than we really need to.
Slashdot Mirror
Back before the details on Segway were released and all the hype over "Ginger" was building in the press, Kamen said that his new invention would influence the design of cities. Having lived in SF for 3 years, I can say that it some parts are not currently compatible for Segway use. Fillmore street sidewalks, for instance, are not wide enough for segways and pedestrians. Geary sidewalks, on the other hand, are fine. SF would probably be better served if they restricted Segways only from certain areas (Fillmore Street, Union Square, Union Street, Chestnut, Haight Street, etc.). Tooling around the Presidio on one of these contraptions would be totally badass. From Kamen's assertion about the design of cities, it sounds as if he might have expected segways to get limited usage in areas with high pedestrian traffic. It sounds like he was hoping cities would build Segway-lanes or something once the invention's benefits were proven. Jethro Thomasson
Wow, several hundred posts on this. I may repeat something someone has already said (I lack the time to read all 400 predecessors). Apologies if I do.
Good advice for anyone who appreciates or fears an imminent legal attack is to not only save all correspondence (like someone above did mention) but to also create a log of all relevant incidents. Times and dates are key. Treat your log like a journal - it will prove indispensable should anything occur.
As for when you should get a lawyer, that depends really on what you hope to accomplish. If you simply want to fend off any attacks, I'd say wait until you get a letter from the CEO's lawyer, or you're served with something, or the CEO wants to meet with you. Until that point, a log and a record of correspondence will protect you fine. However, if you want (or need) to take a more aggressive defense position (for example if your reputation is at stake and his mere accusation is damaging), then you can get one right now and threaten an "abuse of process" claim or a defamation claim. Threatening someone with a lawsuit without grounds can give you a cause of action in certain situations. Abuse of process can be used either as a preemptive strike or as an effective counterattack.
As for posting stuff online, I'd recommend against it, as it won't accomplish anything constructive and you may end up shooting yourself in the foot (for example, if you accidently post something sensitive that would otherwise be covered by attorney-client privilege, posting it will dissolve that privilege).
I'm sure this is too much information, but we lawyers are prone to talk more than we really need to.
J. Thomasson