As millions watched the debut of Apple’s newest creation, deemed the worlds second most important tablet only after the Ten Commandments, a lone tweet went out.
“No, Apple didn’t license iBooks from me. They just copied me. Ah well,”
The tweet came from Wil Shipley, founder of Delicious Monster and the part he was referring to as being copied was the iBooks software on the new Apple iPad. Wil’s company released a product, Delicious Library, a while back and now he was witnessing first hand his software being copied by one of the biggest brands in the world. How would he respond? How would you?
How do you respond when you see your creation copied?
As an entrepreneur this is a subject you no doubt will have to face. Whether you’re being copied or doing the copying it brings to the forefront the challenges of intellectual property. I cant say that I know exactly how Wil feels, however having had two of our yacht designs copied over the years, I know that imitation isn’t the sincerest form of flattery.
You Respond With Passion
The topic of intellectual property, patents and protection is a debate for another time. What I really want to focus on is the response that Wil had in light of this situation. In this article he goes on to say how Apple couldn’t license it, acknowledge it, even give him credit for a whole host of reasons. However the interesting part to me was this,
As a creator, part of what I seek is recognition, immortality. I don’t work for Apple, or Google (I’ve been offered jobs & buyouts) because I want the fame myself. It’s my shot at immortality. My designs are my children. So it stinks when I feel like Steve might get the fame for my innovation. I lose my children, as it were.”
“But your children aren’t really yours. They have lives of their own. So when your designs do change the world, you have to accept it. You have to say, ‘Ok, this was such a good idea, other people took it and ran with it. I win.
Now to be honest when I read his quote, there is a part of me that’s thinking “I bet he wouldn’t feel the same if it was some no name competitor trying to copy”. However, that part of my thinking pales in comparison to the other part, the part that gets goose bumps after reading that. When you read that quote you can’t help but get exited to see an entrepreneur, a designer, an artist with that much passion for his creation…that’s what greatness is made of.
Wil’s comments are a reminder that being an entrepreneur is about much more than making money. It’s about your shot at “immortality”. Thanks for the reminder.
What do you feel about Apple iBooks and it’s apparent copy of Wil’s design? Leave a comment.
