Clever CopyCats

In some ways I regret not having taken out a patent on some of the unique features of Skyrove, now that we've seen a handful of copycats popping up. In other ways, I realise that a patent is very hard to protect and that building your brand is really the best protection one could have against copycats.

There will always be people who are clever enough to recognize and copy good systems, yet unfortunately not smart enough to come up with something original.

This is not always a bad thing. It's a good thing when the copycats are doing it with noble purpose and if their vision is truly one of making the world better. When this is the case, I can do nothing more but smile and acknowledge that greatest form of flattery: imitation.

For an example of what I would consider noble imitation, have a look at the Skyrove Movie and compare it with the Tomizone movie which was made about a year later. I spoke to Steve Simms from Tomizone who was big enough to tell me that their video was largely inspired by Skyrove's. I have no problem with this and Steve has been a pioneer in getting Wi-Fi to more people. In this way I see him as a fellow visionary, not as a competitive threat.

To some extent, the Open Source movement is based on this noble purpose. It's about putting something out there for people to replicate and improve. But it's made clear that you cannot do this without recognition of the original author.

It's when copycats undermine the original work and deliberately try to undo the good work of the innovator that they should be put in their place.

Like the 'clever' little gopher in the video below:




Just because you were 'clever' enough to steal something in a new and high-tech way, does not mean you'll get away with it. Be truly original, and you won't have to fight off the crows.