It's long seemed to me that when ideas are ready to come into the world, they often choose multiple paths. Maybe the 'creators' ingested the same influences and processed them into the same or nearly identical results.

The Alexander Graham Bell vs Elisha Gray 'invention' of the telephone seems a great example. I think with some digging, countless more examples can be found in pretty much any field one cares to explore.

While there can only be one 'first' often the seconds come too close on the tail to be considered 'ripoffs' since there wasn't really enough time to copy and steal an idea.

Not to say that others don't steal. But we all feed from the same cultural trough. If someone comes up with the same idea, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. And if I come up with what I thought was an original idea, that turns out to be something that's a tired old trope among folks much further along than me, I will blush and crawl back under my rock, but try not to beat myself up too badly for my ignorant gaffe.

I always try to make allowances for intent.

K@