Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

smartcar.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

241–250 of 637 posts

Re: Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

#241

Post by hummel »

I have solid evidence that some EV startups that raised billions like Faraday Future are built on our EV-technology and self-driving stack that we built during 2007-2012.

Our project died in 2014 due to lack of support and funding on Europe, while our "Chinese partners" started raising mega large rounds literally copying everything from us, from business plan to technology.

You can also see an overnight quality jump on engineering and powertrain from the Chinese EVs (pre-2014) to 2015+, based on our previous work.

Re: Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

#242

Post by ignoranceprior »

prostanac wrote: post #158
bytecut wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://docs.otonomo.io/docs/obtain-consent-from-a-driver

it seems like they took it down.

Yes, that appears to be the case. (Which in itself is a bit suspicious. Why would they remove it if they thought they had nothing to hide?)

Anyway, it was archived:

https://web.archive.org/web/20190416030526/https://docs.oton...

https://archive.fo/QiMY9

The full list of archived otonomo doc pages:

https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://docs.otonomo.io/docs/*

https://archive.fo/docs.otonomo.io

Re: Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

#243

Post by ceejayoz »

PunchTornado wrote: post #154
huhtenberg wrote: post #133

> We created a standard API for cars. What do they mean by "standard" here if they object to this API being copied? The very goal of API standardization is to have a common interface for TWO parts to talk to each other in a consistent manner. An API that through whatever means allows for only one specific backend doesn't really qualify for being a "standard". > How Otonomo is illegally cloning our product So am I to…

Exactly, I don't understand what is their objection. Since when copying some API docs is illegal? We don't even know yet if API are copyrightable, right? Ever since Facebook copied snapchat's features like it was nothing it became clear for everyone that the best clone will win. You have a product? Expect a clone of it. To me this post is just "they stole my idea" whining.

Facebook's cloning of Snapchat's features is legal.

If they'd copied Snapchat's "how to use " documentation verbatim, typos and all, that'd have been a copyright violation.

Re: Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

#244

Post by monocasa »

amirhirsch wrote: post #215
save_ferris wrote: post #9

There are zero material consequences for a well-funded startup to pull shenanigans like this. Why should we be surprised this is happening?

Someone will get fired and the company will be ordered to pay $30,000 - $150,000 for willful copyright infringement

$150k is probably worth it from a strictly cost benefit perspective.

Re: Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

#246

Post by whamlastxmas »

To say they're illegally cloning your product is probably misleading. They're potentially infringing your copyright on your documentation but there's nothing illegal about their general product offering. I think you are hurting your case with hyperbole.

Re: Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

#247

Post by matz1 »

jacquesm wrote: post #235
matz1 wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No client want to lose. Maybe they choose the wrong lawyer? Maybe they shouldn't just use 'typical' lawyer. Especially for difficult case.

That was about as unwinnable as they come. So no, that wasn't the wrong lawyer, that was simply the wrong client. https://webwereld.nl/overheid/10591-webcamsites-bevechten-el... (Dutch)

No case are unwinnable. At least not with that attitude. Look at the O.J. Simpson case for example.

Re: Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

#248

Post by thesausageking »

Playing the "our small team" card is a stretch for a startup that's raised $12m from two >$5B funds (a16z, NEA).

It's also a stretch to say their product was cloned. It looks like what was copied was just a pretty standard OAuth setup, which most developers cut-and-paste anyway. There's nothing core to the product or even having to do with cars here.

Re: Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

#249

Post by natureboy21 »

joeax wrote: post #100
ChuckMcM wrote: post #44

That is pretty egregious, and its also par for the course. And that is why startup companies go through all the hoops of being "stealth" and having NDAs and what not. There was a German VC firm that was, as I recall, very upfront about this. Clone a successful US company before it got to the European market. On the one hand it is great to have validation of the idea, on the other its a pain to have someone with more…

This is pretty egregious, but in reality the only thing that was copied was the docs for the API, not the API itself. The other company still has the write all the backend code, and given their track record of just ripping stuff off, may not have the engineering chops to pull it off. In addition, as Smartcar continuously improves their product and API, the other company can only react to these changes. If I was the O…

If it wasn’t already, the docs and the code should be copyrighted. It costs nothing and should be relatively easy to litigate in the case of copy pastage lol

Re: Otonomo, with nearly $55M in funding, is cloning our product

#250

Post by golfer »

joeax wrote: post #100
ChuckMcM wrote: post #44

That is pretty egregious, and its also par for the course. And that is why startup companies go through all the hoops of being "stealth" and having NDAs and what not. There was a German VC firm that was, as I recall, very upfront about this. Clone a successful US company before it got to the European market. On the one hand it is great to have validation of the idea, on the other its a pain to have someone with more…

This is pretty egregious, but in reality the only thing that was copied was the docs for the API, not the API itself. The other company still has the write all the backend code, and given their track record of just ripping stuff off, may not have the engineering chops to pull it off. In addition, as Smartcar continuously improves their product and API, the other company can only react to these changes. If I was the O…

Looks to me like they are copying the entire concept, not just the docs. Seems like very little intellectual creativity went into the creation of their API.
Post reply on HN