{"id":8942,"date":"2023-10-03T03:52:34","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T03:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ownr.co\/blog\/?p=8942"},"modified":"2023-12-07T13:20:57","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T13:20:57","slug":"stolen-business-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ownr.co\/blog\/stolen-business-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"Someone Stole Your Business Idea? Here\u2019s How to Succeed Anyway"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From selling fake designer bags to using nearly identical website colour schemes and company names, people stealing other people&#8217;s business ideas is nothing new. That\u2019s not a comforting thing for business owners to read, but it\u2019s reality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, someone stealing your idea does <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> mean you\u2019re down and out. In fact, it could end up being the best thing to ever happen to your business (bear with me, here!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re working away on your business \u2013\u2013 either as just an idea or with real customers \u2013\u2013and someone steals your idea, here\u2019s what you can do to come out on top.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assess exactly what\u2019s happening<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you uncover what you believe to be someone stealing your business idea, you need to clarify two things before moving forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Identify what exactly was stolen<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Businesses are usually comprised of:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talent.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Services and products.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intellectual property (including messaging, materials, brand, etc.).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Relationships.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What did this potential thief actually steal from you? Is it a direct copy of your brand? Offering a nearly identical product or service? Trying to get a vendor to service them instead of you on an exclusive basis? Unfairly poaching employees?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure you write down exactly what was stolen from you. And as difficult as this part can be, you also have to be honest about what was <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> stolen. For instance: if they are trying to unfairly poach an employee, you can\u2019t also say they took your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><b> Decide if what was stolen really matters<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some cases, a \u201cstolen\u201d idea is not actually stolen. In a free country with a market economy, ideas are a dime a dozen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Not technically stealing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: You wanted to open a donut shop and someone else opened their own donut shop in the same area.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Probably stealing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: You told your friend the name of your forthcoming donut shop and its opening date; then they opened their own donut shop with the exact same name a week before you.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, identify if the stolen thing really matters. If it\u2019s intellectual property that could cripple your business, then it definitely matters. But if it\u2019s someone else in a totally non-competitive business, it could be considered inspiration more than stealing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good rule of thumb to assess the situation is whether it will cause economic harm to you or someone else (lost customers, lost opportunities, etc.). Of course, if you\u2019re concerned, it\u2019s always best to check with a lawyer or other competent professional.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plan your way to move forward<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alrighty, so you know something valuable was stolen from you. Now what? Assuming it\u2019s a theft you need to act on in order to save your business, you have a few different options.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. An honest conversation with a clear ask<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reach out to the person and calmly explain that their action certainly appears to be a theft of your idea. Include some proof that this was your protected idea beforehand\u2013\u2013for example, buying a domain, or trademark, or reminding them of a conversation where you shared the information (in the case of a friend, employee, or business associate stealing your ideas).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From here, make a very clear ask. If you want them to stop, change, acknowledge you, etc\u2026 say so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The worst thing you can do in this step is to send a random \u201chey, I think you stole this\u201d message with no ask, then get upset if they don\u2019t do what you want.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Trademarks and legal pathways<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you believe someone directly infringed on your intellectual property, you can send a more formal letter that notes the issue and demands the person stop immediately. You can do this on your own or engage a lawyer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A letter like this, often referred to as a cease and desist, usually has three key elements:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A clear statement of what was stolen.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A clear indication or proof that the stolen item is your intellectual property.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A clear statement that they must stop immediately or you will seek further (usually) legal steps.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be aware that this path can get sticky and expensive quickly. If you end up starting a lawsuit, it can be incredibly difficult (or impossible) to stop once you\u2019ve started. So make sure you\u2019re ready for that possibility. One quick note: This blog is not legal advice, so make sure to check with your lawyer or other competent professional before starting any legal proceedings.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Focus on your brand experience<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s say someone did genuinely steal from you, they won\u2019t stop, and you can\u2019t afford a lawsuit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One path forward is to focus on your brand experience to differentiate yourself. Someone might try to copy a single piece of your intellectual property, but they don\u2019t have your expertise, experience, or brand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you go down this route, focus on:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Your brand story<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Your origin story and explaining why you do things the way you do.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Your customer experience<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Copycats won\u2019t be able to match you because they don\u2019t have original ideas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Your brand evolution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Your brand will naturally evolve as you get more customers. Copycats only have a moment in time and, if they keep copying you, they will always be one step behind.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Let your copycats do your marketing for you<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re in a product business, copycats might actually increase your brand value.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this case, you can take inspiration from designer handbag labels, such as Louis Vuitton or Gucci. When fake bags flooded the market, it rapidly increased their brand awareness, but many were concerned it would ruin the value of the real bags. This is where designers began to innovate, creating clear ways to tell if a bag is real or fake. This included things like unique stitching all the way to microchips to verify authenticity, so that people could always tell a fake (even if the bag itself looked nice). Now, these brands\u2019 authentic products are more profitable and desirable than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If someone copies you and won\u2019t stop, see if you can let them do your marketing for you. All the while, invest your energy into creating a clear way the market can tell the real (you) from the fake (them).<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Out-execute your copycats<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every path takes effort, time, and often money. You will have to analyze if taking any of these paths is worth it for you once you send the first official note acknowledging that they stole something and formally ask them to stop or change. Beyond that, if the other options are not feasible, out-executing becomes your only option.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good thing is that copycats have no creativity. They will always be one step behind you and will eventually fall by the wayside as you evolve, until they have no more market left to steal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So while these pathways could give you the gratification of taking down a thief and getting your stolen property back, you also need to balance focusing on your business, your growth, and your peace of mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Copycats and thieves are out there and you can\u2019t beat them all. That certainly doesn\u2019t mean you join them, it just means you need to focus on what <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> business needs. Sometimes that\u2019s fighting back, other times it\u2019s ignoring the world and focusing on execution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more entrepreneurial tips, stories, and expert advice, <\/span><\/i><a href="\&quot;https:\/\/get.ownr.co\/register-for-entrepreneurship-newsletter\/\&quot;"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sign up for our newsletter<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You&#8217;re feeling confident about your business idea. But, just before you launch, the unthinkable happens: your business idea was copied by someone else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[976],"tags":[153],"class_list":["post-8942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-strategy-tips","tag-business-idea"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Someone Stole Your Business Idea? 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