Earlier quoted context omitted.
If they literally stole the assets (source code), that's one thing, but if they just re-used their technical skills and experience - this seems completely legit to me. A lot of successful startups/companies/projects started that way - key people had previous experience in a similar field, in some big enterprises.
I can't recall specifics since it was so long ago, but my understanding is that components of the UI had been produced at Real.
Any pointers about that company/persons? Interesting where they ended up and what are they doing now.