It’s the best policy.
The 1990 movie Crazy People is about an advertising executive who gets sent to a psychiatric hospital for creating honest ads. By ignoring “the rules,” he creates brutally honest – and effective – advertisements. Like the one for Volvo: “Boxy but good.”
When prospective clients ask what makes Clock Tower Law Group different from other firms, I tell them that we give advice that we’d like to hear. That sometimes we advise people not to hire us because their limited funds would be better spent (in our opinion) on marketing, product development, sales, or whatever their company’s biggest need might be.
So I have no problem telling clients and prospective clients that patents are not always their best option, that sometimes trade secrets are preferable to patents, and that even if patents are the preferred strategy, they can save money by filing patents themselves.
Our only tool isn’t a hammer, so we don’t treat every problem like a nail. That said, we do make our living from filing patents and trademarks. But we don’t want to push every prospective client to a solution simply because we offer it. We want the right solution for the right client. Because of this stance, we often find prospective clients trying to sell us on them. Which can be awkward. But maybe that’s the way it should be. Ours is not the right firm for every company, but we’re a good choice for many companies (especially early stage companies, since many IP decisions need to be made early in a company’s life).
This may also explain why I never pursued a career in politics, despite being convinced (in college) that politics was where I was headed. (I have never been enrolled in any political party but I have voted in every election. I have picked some presidential winners and losers – and I’m not necessarily referring to who was elected.)
Does honesty make me crazy? Possibly.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: In the summer of 2025, Clocktower Intern Mark Magyar used artificial intelligence (AI) software to shorten over 100 Clocktower articles by 17%. The shortened articles are included as comments to the original ones. And 17 is the most random number (https://www.giantpeople.com/4497.html) (https://www.clocktowerlaw.com/5919.html).]
* Boxy But Good: Honesty In Advertising
The 1990 movie Crazy People is about an ad exec sent to a psychiatric hospital for creating honest ads. By ignoring “the rules,” he produces brutally honest – and effective – ads. Like Volvo’s: “Boxy but good.”
When prospective clients ask what makes Clock Tower Law Group different, I say we give the advice we’d want to hear. Sometimes we tell people not to hire us, since their limited funds might be better spent on marketing, product development, or sales.
So I freely admit that patents aren’t always best, that trade secrets may be smarter, and that clients can sometimes save money by filing patents themselves. Our only tool isn’t a hammer, so we don’t treat every problem like a nail. Yes, we make our living from patents and trademarks, but we don’t push every client toward them. We want the right solution for the right client.
Because of this, prospective clients sometimes end up selling us on them—which can be awkward. But maybe that’s the way it should be. We’re not the right firm for every company, but we’re a good choice for many, especially early-stage startups that must make IP decisions early.
This outlook may also explain why I never pursued politics, despite once thinking I would. I’ve never joined a political party, but I’ve voted in every election and picked some presidential winners and losers (not necessarily the same ones the country did).
Does honesty make me crazy? Maybe.