A reader asks:
Can I steal someone else’s business idea?
That depends on what you mean by “steal”. If you’re privy to confidential information or you’ve signed a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) or similar then no that would be unethical (it’s not illegal as business ideas are not protected by law). If on the other hand you mean you’ve spotted that the chaps behind Facebook have got rich building a social networking site so you want to pinch the idea and build your own social networking site, then yes, go ahead and “steal” the idea.
If you’re on about a business idea that’s in the public domain then not only can you, but arguably you should steal an idea. The fact is, genuinely new business ideas are riskier and more often than not the businesses pursuing them fail, or at very least fail to make them work. On the other hand copying a successful business idea and tweaking it, building on it or improving it means you are much more likely to be successful.
Just remember that while you can legally copy the business idea, the implementation of the idea might well be protected by copyright, trademarks and patents.
Asking John:
Do you have a business question you would like me to answer? If so you can Ask John or you can ask on the forums where you’ll get both my input and that of your fellow entrepreneurs.
This blog is about business opportunities and ideas that I spot, think of or hear about and think are useful and interesting. It is intended to provide ideas and inspriation for you to help you find the right business idea for you to then grow it into a successful business.
There is probably no business idea that is 100% original.
It could be argued that any new business is ‘stealing’ somebody else’s ideas even if done unknowingly.
In short:
Take ideas that work in other businesses and use them;
Take ideas that don’t work in other businesses, fix them, then use them;
Don’t take ideas that nobody uses, they’ll probably never work no matter how you apply them;
And don’t take ideas if they are protected in anyway such as by a patent, you’ll only find yourself in trouble.