[cwan]

An addendum from Fred Wilson (another one of the partners at USV): http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2010/01/why-we-need-an-independent-i... -

"But anyone who has spent a significant time in technology based businesses will understand that two groups working completely independently from each other will often solve a problem similarly. One group is not copying or ripping off the other group. They are simply coming to similar conclusions about how to get something done.

In these cases, it makes no sense to protect one group from the other. Nobody has taken anyone's "intellectual property." Both groups should own their inventions outright without having to license technology from the other."