Startups Copying Startups: How To Protect Yourself From Intellectual Theft
Successful startups have been getting ripped off forever
If you didn’t read Eco founder Andy Bromberg’s Twitter thread last month accusing Pebble’s cofounding team of the boldface plagiarism of both Eco’s marketing messaging and business model — along with a blow-by-blow accounting of what he called “lying and espionage” in attempts to surface Eco’s intellectual property, you’d be forgiven, because it turned into a non-story.
What Bromberg alleges is shocking in almost every aspect, but the thread ends with a whimper, an “agree-to-disagree,” with no further action to follow.
What isn’t shocking is the fact that this kind of fudgery isn’t new or particularly unique. I’m more than a little disappointed that nothing came of it, because when no action is taken, it’s a clear signal that it’s cool, bro. No harm, no foul.
Get outta here with that. Your intellectual property is the most valuable thing your startup owns, so you need to cover your assets.
Steal First and Refuse To Apologize Later
Whether some old-fashioned startup thievery was committed is left up for debate. However, a lapse of ethics is most certainly at play.
