[codeinstyle]

Out of curiosity, how did you find out about the IP theft?

Also, what are some actions (if there are any) that one can take if one learns of such IP theft? Are there any legal protections or is it simply a lost cause at that point?

[SlowRobotAhead]

Happy to answer, found out when our single Chinese dealer contacted us saying he's able to buy 1000 of our parts of the shelf at a place he knows. Got one it, saw it's a green circuit board and not the color we use. They had lifted my code from the micro using a voltage glitch and placed it on theirs. Works great... cause it's my code.

Basically I think the rule is don't even consider legal action unless you would be happy to dump $500,000 on it. We make much more than that on my product but for a variety of reasons wouldn't go down that route.

Longer answer on prevention is that if you're making a "dumb" device today, expect no reasonable protections if your price point keeps you in a standard microcontroller range. So, if you're using anything from PIC/AVR to Cortex M7, assume you will give firmware away somehow. In our case, the next product is BLE connected and will self-authenticate via our server, we looked at PSK and PKI, and found a way to do it cost effectively because of a unique scenario that it has to mate up to the part number on another product. Basically I can just watch the database for mismatched pairs and ban them from being used. Not perfect, and someone could make one bad unit for themselves, but not thousands.

[baybal2]

By any chance, do you deal with anything in medical space, like insulin injectors?

[SlowRobotAhead]

No, and glad that's the case. I don't need the extra hassle! I make simple niche stuff.

But, it doesn't really matter, some Chinese guys saw they could make few dollars by knocking off my PCB, making it cheaper, using cheaper components, and copying my code. It's not like it was a $40,000,000 product line.

I tell people it's how I know I'm not completely shit. That the Chinese thought it good enough to clone/steal. It's how I know I've made it.

[baybal2]

Well, that's how it is.

Just saw that you had few posts telling that you lived in Malaysia, and thought that you may be somebody I know.

> some Chinese guys saw they could make few dollars by knocking off my PCB, making it cheaper, using cheaper components

Why not to copy their design?

[SlowRobotAhead]

>Why not to copy their design?

My dad told me, that, ‘character’ is just the things you do when no one is looking.

So how much can you have when you tell the world you are a cheat?