CompuServe Messages

Ben, I was shocked and dismayed to read your message which implied that NewTek had somehow stolen your ideas. I think you know me well enough to realize that I would never do such a thing and that, in fact, I go out of my way to fight for intellectual property rights. Anyone who has spent time around NewTek soon discovers that unethical behavior of any kind is simply not tolerated. This is true from president through custodian. I value our reputation for honesty far more than I value our bottom line. You can see, then, why your comments and the replies they provoked saddened me. I feel I must try to set the record straight. In view of the fact that the Video Toaster was revealed so long ago, it may be hard to believe that there are several products under development at NewTek that no one in the outside world has ever seen. Nevertheless, there are about half a dozen products under active development and several more waiting on the back burner. The device in question is under VERY active development and has been for over a year. The device, which bears the codename "Solcon", IS a display device, but that's where the similarity ends. It does NOT have any of the features of your unit. You will see, when the product ships, that it is definitely not something that could be whipped together in a few months. It is based on some very unique ideas and is the result of several man-years of hardware and software development. A patent application is underway and there are reams of dated documentation and witnesses who will corroborate what I say. If we had, in fact, heard about your design an quickly grabbed a napkin to reverse-engineer and develop it, we would indeed be worthy of the kind of condemnation I am seeing on this board. That is NOT the case, however, and I must ask that you, and the other participants of this discussion, please get your facts straight before you leap. As it is, the comments here represent an illegal attack on our integrity. Signed, Tim Jenison President NewTek, Inc.