Class Act...

This past Monday, Quirky accused OXO of ripping off a design for a “broom groomer”.  This caught my eye, as I'm a fan of both OXO products (especially for the kitchen) and Quirky.  The issue is a classic intellectual property dispute, an area I have some familiarity with.

OXO's response is quite unconventional.  The conventional response would have been to counter-sue Quirky and start a war of attrition, doing neither side any good.  Instead, OXO published an open response that details the many ways in which Quirky's complaint is unjustified.  It also details the many opportunities OXO has for a countersuit, and on the face of it they look much more substantial than Quirky's complaint.  Then OXO simply calls for a truce – and a return by both parties to designing great products.

Nice, OXO.  A tip o'the hat to you for a classy response.  I hope it works out well, and serves as an example of an alternative to mutually destructive litigation...