First things first. If you have a clog in your drain and need to clear it, use the original Zip-It Hair Clog Remover.
Now for the sad story.
We've all seen this kind of plastic snake. it was invented by Gene Luoma back in the year 2000. He had a young daughter with long hair which was getting caught in the drain. He discovered that by cutting barbs into a strip of plastic, he could get all the hair out. He applied for—and received—a design patent and a utility patent. He started manufacturing these himself—and still does—right in the USA.
Because the concept was so simple and the design so easy to copy, many companies simply stole the idea. I've seen it given away for free on Liquid Plumbr bottles. I've seen it sold as an Amazon Basics product. And of course, suddenly there were infomercials selling them. Remember what years this happened: after the government opened up most favored nation status to China, American companies were scrambling to get anything and everything made in China.
Worse, during this time corruption started to seep into the federal government. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board—a part of the federal government that was put together to combat patent trolls—started to penalize real inventors. A small business owner like Luoma simply didn't have the money to defend himself against multi-million dollar companies that wanted to steal his invention. Soon, all 12 of his patents were invalidated.
Fast forward to today. Those American brands that ran to China to get rich? They're all gone. Today you'll find dozens and dozens of sellers in China selling this product. Because there is no longer a patent on this product, they are free and clear to mass produce it. And of course, they've cut out the middleman—all of those American brands that thought they could get rich by stealing Luoma's invention and offshoring production to China now find that they're cut out so that the only people profiting from these products is China.
This is just a microcosm of what the corruption and greed of American big business and government has done to American entrepreneurs and small business. I don't even blame China here, although they certainly ended up being the big beneficiaries.
How can you fight back? Simple. Start with buying a real Zip-It drain snake and not a China knock-off, so the inventor (who had two children who suffer from muscular dystrophy) can enjoy at least some of the profits from his invention. And tell all your friends to do the same.
