
Ask HN: It is "moral" to copy someone else's idea? - UnoriginalGuy
So I have an interesting concept for a "startup" (new business). However I got this concept by looking at how someone else is doing it, and thinking I can do it "better" (offer a better end-user experience).<p>The problem is now that I've seen their design if I created my own product I cannot help but rip off all of their good ideas, improve all of their weaknesses, and then ultimately screw them over...<p>As I said, I think I can improve on their design, but I just will feel guilty about screwing over another startup (and stealing their hardwork/research).<p>Has anyone dealt with this? Did you decide to go ahead with it or did you leave it alone?
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nextparadigms
That's how virtually all competition is formed in all markets. You wouldn't
have "competitors" if they didn't have to at least make a somewhat similar
product. If it would be a completely 100% different product, then it wouldn't
be a competitor in that market anymore. It would be something else, in its own
market...which would also get "similar" competition there.

Patent enforcement is way out of line with how businesses actually work and
have worked for millenias.

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codegeek
"I just will feel guilty about screwing over another startup"

I like your confidence. Just by copying their _idea_ , you think you will be
able to screw their startup? Think again. It may not be as easy it might
appear to you.

But again, should you copy the idea or do it better ? Sure, hell yea. Why not
? Most ideas are anyway a derivative of some other idea.

Stop worrying about this. Go build your stuff and ship it.

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jamesmcbennett
When a startup gets cloned, the thing is that it is never just one clone, its
is one hundred of them. If this startup is so lucrative and easy to copy, put
your game face on the one hundred other competitors... As its your friend, you
can work on his defense strategy or your offense strategy.

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jamesmcbennett
Have you heard of Rocket Internet - (Samwer brothers) they have become experts
in how to copy recently funded companies although hated by startup communities
everywhere. Worth googling them and you will likely find lots of information.
They are strong at execution putting alot of money and people on a project
from day 1.

If you zoom in on a couple of cases such fab.com or airbnb.com, it is
intesting to observe what happened. In Fab.com's case, Rocket internet were
getting geared up to copy Fab as Fab was growing fast. Jason Goldberg wrote a
letter to all the designers on fab.com and published a post on his own blog
saying that it was pointless to copy them. Fab.com deals with designers, and
designers hate when people copy them so it was very likely designers wouldn't
want to have anything to do with a copy and the rocket clone failed. Airbnb
bought smaller competitors, not the rocket clone managing to get around the
clone that way.

Then there is the question, "are clones useful?" In some cases, very much so.
If a startup wants to expand fast, one avenue it can take is to grow fast in a
large city and then acquire the smaller clone startups elsewhere which have
already tested how the idea needs to adapt to that context. This would be
faster than organic growth.

Lastly, you realise everything is a remix.
[http://www.everythingisaremix.info/everything-is-a-remix-
the...](http://www.everythingisaremix.info/everything-is-a-remix-the-ted-
talk/) Almost every idea is a copy of the last. I used to work for an
extremely famous designer, people always said "he was brilliant at hiding his
sources."

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7402
There may actually be a good reason why you're feeling guilty. And it may in
fact be a better plan to do something else.

You can try the following thought experiment: suppose you follow through on
this new business, spend 6 months working on it, and a month after it gets
going, someone ELSE copies the idea, does it a little better than you, and
your sales go to zero. How will you feel?

You might think, "Well, all's fair in love, war, and startups. I made a good
attempt, learned a whole lot, and I got beat fair and square. It doesn't
really bother me, that is how the game is played. Now I'll try something
else."

Or, you might think, "Wow. I just wasted 6 months. I didn't gain any new
skills. I don't feel good about what I did. I wish I had spent that time doing
something to improve myself."

Or, you might feel, "I WAS ROBBED. I spent all this time working on a real
improvement on web site X, but web site Y just ripped me off and benefited
from my 6 months of hard work."

Never mind what you think is the "right" answer - you might be happier in the
long run trying to think of something new, or at least spending your efforts
on learning something new.

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meric
It depends how far ahead they are. If they are really far into it, it might be
more profitable to join them instead and improve their existing product. But
that also means revealing to them your intention to do something similar,
which may look really bad if you ended up doing your own thing.

My opinion.

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jamesmcbennett
Just saw this ad from .co domain, (disclaimer: it's not great.)
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=a...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aE6ugHoIB_Q)

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dear
Picasso said: "Good Artists Copy, but Great Artists Steal."

Everyone learns from previous generations. Think of copying as a learning
process. As one grows, you inject your own variation and create your own
masterpiece.

~~~
jamesmcbennett
and Steve Jobs who said that quote in his younger years, but in his later
years sued Samsung from stealing from Apple and patented eveyrthing.

The lesson being "Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal,"...but not from me.

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Robby2012
Isn't everthing about improving other elses idea? Every startup aims to
improve an existing idea, that's the target. Don't feel guilty about it.

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TimSchumann
I'd go a step further and say it's Immoral of you _not_ to copy the idea and
make it your own.

The only time an idea has any value is when it's shared. Copy everything you
can and make it better.

Others will in turn copy you and rise to the challenge, or maybe they'll
decide that a career change is in order.

Either way, you've made the world a better place.

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saurabh
Interesting username.

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ishener
In my opinion, nobody owns an idea. It's not property (nevermind that I have
doubt even as to private property).

You can't put bars to prevent people stealing your ideas, and you can never
prove that an idea was stolen (unless you think the broken patent system
works).

Morally, I would have no problem...

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benologist
If you look harder you'll probably find where they got their idea from.

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manidoraisamy
I think the question should be - Are you passionate about solving "that"
problem. Morality should hinge on that. Not the solution.

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redegg
In the end, its all business.

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cjamerlan
Ideas are a dime a dozen, execution is what really matters

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miriadis
That's right. An idea can be executed in a million different ways. There is a
substantial difference between copying an idea and copying execution.

