Groundbreaking inventions can generate vast wealth for decades, but history is filled with stories of the original creators who saw little of the fortune. New research has quantified the staggering sums lost by British innovators, from the mind behind Cluedo to the inventor of the vacuum flask.
The £5,000 Cluedo Deal and a Ford Dashboard Arrow
Anthony Pratt, the creator of the future bestselling board game Cluedo, was paid a mere £5,000 for the UK rights to his brainchild in 1965. He had conceived the game, initially called 'Murder', while in his Birmingham kitchen during World War II blackouts, drawing inspiration from his performances in grand hotels. Since its 1949 release, Cluedo has become the second best-selling board game of all time after Monopoly, a success that should have earned Pratt millions.
His daughter, Marcia Lewis, revealed her phlegmatic father did not regret the financial blunder, content that his creation brought 'happiness and joy' to millions. She has since donated an early version of the game to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
In a similar tale of modest reward, tributes have been paid to James Moylan, the Ford employee who died aged 80. In a 1986 internal memo, he suggested adding a small arrow on vehicle dashboards to indicate which side the fuel tank was on. His sketched proposal, featuring an open fuel door, argued it would be a 'worthwhile convenience'. By 1989, 'Moylan arrows' were standard on new Ford models. Moylan, who valued friendships over cashing in, spent his entire career at the motor giant before retiring in 2023.
Historical Jackpots Denied: From the Flying Shuttle to the Thermos
Legal patent-tech company Lightbringer has highlighted British creators denied jackpots worth up to an estimated £100 million each in today's money. Their research exposes a long history of missed opportunities.
John Kay, who patented the flying shuttle in 1733, a device that doubled weaving speed and helped spark the Industrial Revolution, saw manufacturers resist his licence fees. He died in poverty, with lost earnings potentially worth £100 million today.
Scottish chemist Sir James Dewar invented the double-walled vacuum flask in 1892 but never patented it. German inventors later patented a domestic version as the 'Thermos', costing Dewar an estimated £60 million in modern terms.
Another Scot, Alexander Bain, created the world’s first electric clock in the 1840s. Wealthier rivals challenged his patents, draining his finances through legal battles. He died in near poverty, despite a pension, having missed out on £30 million.
Londoner Peter Durand, who secured a 1810 patent for preserving food in tin cans, sold the rights for £1,000 (about £62,000 today). The buyers established the first commercial canning factory, leaving Durand missing a potential £10 million.
Modern Misses: Tetris, Hovercrafts and the Smiley Face
The pattern continues with more recent innovations. Soviet computer engineer Alexey Pajitnov created Tetris in 1984 while working for the state, which took the rights. He only established The Tetris Company in 1996 after the USSR's collapse, having missed an estimated $30 million from early Nintendo Game Boy sales alone.
British inventor Sir Christopher Cockerell patented the hovercraft in 1955 while employed by the National Research Development Corporation. He received just £5,000 a decade later for the revolutionary transport concept.
Even simple graphics proved lucrative for others. Graphic designer Harvey Ball was paid only $45 in 1963 for creating the iconic yellow smiley face for a US insurance company. Brothers Murray and Bernard Spain later copyrighted it, adding 'Have A Nice Day', and made an estimated $50 million in 18 months.
The Occasional Winners: Meccano, Lego and Slinky
Not all inventors missed out. Frank Hornby became a millionaire and Conservative MP after launching his Meccano construction system in 1901, followed by Hornby Model Railways and Dinky Toys.
Danish toymaker Ole Kirk Christiansen founded Lego in 1934. His family still controls the Lego Group, which posted £8.7 billion revenue last year, with his great-granddaughter recently selling shares worth about £740 million.
Philadelphia naval engineer Richard R James invented the Slinky in 1943 after observing a spring's movement. He and his wife sold the first 400 in 90 minutes, building a fortune estimated at $250 million.
Dominic Davies, CEO and co-founder of Lightbringer, summarised the issue: 'Innovation has always driven progress, yet history shows that even the brightest ideas can be lost without protection... These findings expose the long-standing barriers that have kept innovators from accessing the very systems designed to protect them.'
