While his deceptive marketing and media manipulation tactics helped the Coolest Cooler set a Kickstarter record for raising $13 million, his 15 minutes of fame may be ending sooner than he thinks.
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| THE FIRST AND ONLY COOLER WITH BUILT IN LED LIGHTING Source:LiddUp.Com |
Taylor Gwiazdon and Jayson Sandberg dove into the Shark Tank which aired April 4th, 2013. No sales, no bullshit, just a prototype.
On August 20. 2013 LiddUp, Inc. was granted patent US8511846 B1 for a Cooler with LED lighting. Unfortunately for "inventor" Ryan Grepper, among the many things he has failed to do is his market research.
Hubris must have have led the newest #crowdfunding huckster to this comment on his Inventor's Blueprint blog on November 27, 2013.:
"For example, the flashlight built into the lid of the Coolest was my idea, but someone else had and patented that same idea years ago. Luckily for me the patent is expired and now I’m free to add that element into my design." - Ryan Grepper 11/27/2013If Ryan Grepper had bothered to do a quick search, he would have seen the patent was not expired and there was a good possibility of his ending up shark bait - but he didn't.
In a press release issued by Igloo Products Corp., back November 2014,
"LiddUp’s patents, for its unique LED lighting technology, helped to finalize the partnership. The innovative design utilizes LEDs as the light source to illuminate the inner contents of a cooler."It is interesting to note that both LiddUp and Igloo shine a spotlight on the patented lighting system for their cooler, a subtle warning shot for the Coolest Cooler?
While Ryan Grepper is milking every last cent out of the sheep walkers on Kickstarter, for a product he didn't invent, design or prototype. His grade school bullies police the comments section, battering anyone who questions his claims or timeline while he finds another pointless "upgrade" i.e. stall tactic - The LiddUp guys have done the work.
The LiddUp guys built the infrastructure first - before selling a single item, their partnership with Igloo means more jobs for domestic workers and more control over the manufacturing process.
Grepper is set for implosion with his laser focus on marketing and producing the cheapest Made In China product possible. All the bullshit double talk and party pictures are meaningless... a slippery slope to travel and a fast, hard face plant at the end.
Considering @IglooProducts has remained the #1 brand in coolers for over 60 years, setting the standard for quality and durability it is an educated guess says they aren't going to let this one slide.
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| "The LiddUp’s secret weapon is a LED (light emitting diode) lighting system that provides interior lighting to a cooler, even when it is fully loaded, in the absence of ambient light. By utilizing this patented technology to illuminate the cooler’s contents, we’ve successfully enhanced both accessibility and visibility to provide a vastly improved version of this common product found in millions of households around the world. You wouldn’t buy a refrigerator without lights, would you? So why purchase another cooler without a built-in lighting system?" Source: http://liddup.com/features.html |
The complaint was closed in scheduling on 01/26/2010, and while the details of the settlement are unknown, E-Famtrips, Inc. still held the patent in February of 2012 when Grepper filmed his Inventor's Blueprint video "Power to the Prototype" where he continues to claim he invented the product... except he didn't.
Like many other assertions by Grepper, this is a provable lie... and one of the many reasons you will never get your Coolest.
Related posts about The Coolest Cooler and Ryan Grepper:
Would you give this guy $10 million?
Coolest Kickstarter - First Thoughts
Free Money, Coolest Crowdfunding and Phil Gardner
Coolest Kickstarter Issues Backer Refunds!