Sheldon posts his codec online. It goes viral in the niche world of Linux forums and video engineers. He gets an email from a VP of Technology at a massive Silicon Valley company (stand-in for Cisco or Microsoft). The VP offers him $25,000 for the patent. Sheldon is shocked.
MR. GIVENS: So you want to spend the science fair on… data compression?
LAWYER: Sign here, kid. Or we’ll just reverse-engineer it in a month anyway. This way, you get paid.
The lawyer scoffs and leaves.
MEE MAW: There he is. You beautiful, backstabbing son of a gun.
"In reality, video codecs are very complex. But in 1994, a 14-year-old in Texas did once try to barter a compression algorithm for a Cray supercomputer. He got a 'no' and a free t-shirt."
Blocked Drains Barnet