Copy rights

[ians]

Adrian with regards to trusting people, I am still trying to walk from all the knives in my back, it is going to take a while.

I was taught a lesson many years ago in the SADF, we had a buddy system when we went to the border. I watched as my "buddy" dropped me in the Crapper not behind my back, he got into trouble and lied to the person while I was standing right next to him, I took the punishment and did the time, but from that day on I realised that if that is what a buddy can do while you are standing next to him, just imagine what they do behind your back

[sterne.law@gmail.com]

I read this somewhere recently...

Beware the person patting you on the back...he may just be looking for the soft spot to bury the knife.

[adrianh]

That's not what I mean, forget about buddies and all that. What I mean is that you will need people to manufacture your product. All that an NDA does is either annoy people or get their antennae up to seeing possibilities to copy whatever you are doing. Ok, so lets think about it, you come to me with a NDA and I sign it. Nothing stops me from telling my buddy in JHB, OZ, hell even next door about your wonderful idea. The point that I am trying to make is that people WILL copy stuff, no matter what you do. The trick is to deal with people who have absolutely nothing to gain from copying your stuff. The average CNC or laser cutting business couldn't care less about what you do, yes, you may have a great product in a particular sector but that does not mean that the product has any meaning to them. They have machines to pay off, reputations to protect etc. People contact me on a daily basis to help them develop their products, yes of course I can copy them and sell them myself, but the reality is that I simply have no interest in selling. Yes we sell trains but they really sell themselves, I don't look for the market, the market knows me and comes to me. So, although there are many people who come to me with great products that I help to develop, I know full well that there is a hell of lot of work to get the product to market and that the designers reputation is critical to his product. Look, all that I am trying to say is that I do not believe that the average CNC or laser cutting company is going to steal your idea simply because they already have their hands full dealing with their own customers and issues.

I have to have a lot of stuff made, I have PC boards made, litho printing done, pad printer plates made, brass etching done...and and and, all those companies would laugh at me if I go to them with NDAs every time I want something done. I simply ask to have the parts made and that's it - the last thing you want to do is draw attention to it. If somebody asks you what it is for you simply say that you don't know, that the boss is replacing some part on some machine that he's been trying to get to work for the past 5 years...and that the boss is actually a stupid twat that doesn't know the first thing about machines (that will put them off looking at the part let alone copy it) - the best weapon that you have is your mouth, you'll be surprised how far you can get and how much you can find out by simply speaking a lot of rubbish.

[tec0]

I read this somewhere recently...

Beware the person patting you on the back...he may just be looking for the soft spot to bury the knife.

Funny you say that, because it is true...

[adrianh]

I will coin a proverb "No man is stabbed in the back with his eyes open"!

[vieome]

I will coin a proverb "No man is stabbed in the back with his eyes open"!

I understand what you saying, but the whole idea behind being stabbed in the back, states that one does not have eyes behind their heads.

[ians]

Or just make sure that my marketing strategy is setup targeted in the right place and working efficiently, and that my price is competitive.

[adrianh]

No, you are wrong, you don't understand what I am saying. What I am saying is that you only get stabbed in the back if you allow it to happen, you have to be vigilant, you have to know your friends and your enemies. People get stabbed in the back because they are complacent, getting stabbed in the back is shifting the blame from yourself to another, you get screwed over because you didn't protect yourself.

[pmbguy]

Why do people cry about getting stabbed in the back? Just pull the knife out and move on. Playing the victim is like riding a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but gets you absolutely nowhere.

[adrianh]

@ian, you can only trade on price to a limited degree, you have to primarily trade onn reputation. There will always be somebody who can do it cheaper and better, no matter what it is. You need to make people want to buy YOUR product. The trick is to figure out what it is that will entice them to buy your product rather than another.