A Triumph of Genius: Edwin Land, Polaroid, and the Kodak Patent War

Apple founder Steve Jobs once hailed Edwin Land, the founder of Polaroid and the father of instant photography, as “a national treasure,” and modeled much of his own career after his. Both men stand out as unique and towering figures in the history of technology. Neither had a college degree, but both built highly successful, innovative organizations. Each was a perfectionist and micro-manager almost fanatically attentive to detail, in addition to being consummate showmen and instinctive marketers. In many ways, Edwin Land was the original Steve Jobs. Land is perhaps the most important, yet least known, inventor and technology entrepreneur in American history. A Triumph of Genius tells the incredible story of the reclusive genius who, as a teen, invented the plastic polarizer, which is still used almost a century later in countless popular applications including our sunglasses and LCD screens. Land went on to pioneer a revolutionary system of photography that provided instant gratification. Like making a Xerox, or using a Kleenex, everyone knows what it means to take a Polaroid. Along the way Land made critical contributions to top-secret U.S. military intelligence efforts during World War II and the Cold War in the service of seven American presidents. A Triumph of Genius also chronicles, in an unprecedented inside account, Polaroid’s landmark legal battle with Kodak, the outcome of which continues to influence the protection of technological innovation well into the 21st century. Ron Fierstein was a young lawyer on the team of litigators from the prestigious patent law firm of Fish & Neave representing Polaroid in its epic patent battle with Eastman Kodak over instant photography technology. He had the unique experience of working closely with Polaroid’s two main witnesses, Dr. Edwin Land and Howard Rogers, during the discovery phase of the litigation and then throughout the dramatic federal court trial in Boston. After leaving the practice of law in the early 1980s, he has enjoyed a long and successful career in the entertainment industry, representing artists in the recording (Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter) and theater (Harvey Fierstein) industries. Ron lives with his wife in Chappaqua, NY, and spends as much time as he can at their second home on the beautiful island of North Hero, VT. They have two grown sons.