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Ask HN: What if you woke up & another company was your doppleganger?
4 points by jfdi on May 6, 2012 | hide | past | favorite | 3 comments
I have been working on a hobby project -> startup conversion, albeit for far too long.

I bought the domain name (.co), the .com was taken by a squatter (not a big deal), and I registered a facebook app with that name to support development.

I failed to obtain the twitter handle or facebook page for my application. Wow - lesson learned here. But I had been focused on dev and missed this. I also failed to incorporate or apply for trademark because I had assumed I could take that step later, closer to launch.

So long story short - I do periodic competitive research and check in on my very new and upcoming brand. I haven't launched yet so when I search for my company name I should find essentially nothing of note.

I searched recently and found that my exact company name and charter at a high level (online commerce, really simple), literally is being done out of Asia - Singapore or Korea from what I can tell. There are a group of seemingly got-there-themselves people who formed up and coded up what looks like my backend at a hackathon. They do seem legit in the sense that they're trying to make it work and they came up with the name themselves perhaps.

My question is this -- I'm 4-6 months from launch, I can't see a world where I entirely rename my company. The name is outstanding. I now have this startup I'd like to make at least rename and give up their twitter and facebook handles -- but they'd probably want me to give up my domain and app name.

Any advice/guidance on this based on your experience? Is it worth me just finishing my product and then worrying about the name?

* the question: Should I just forget about it, and once I'm ready to launch change my name so something else that's free? Should I get a lawyer on board and go fight this now while they're young? Not that I have vast resources though, still on the pre-launch bootstrap budget. Something else?

I would cringe if they were successful - seeing my "baby" name on another company doing what I am doing...

Thanks ahead HN



1. I've said this in a few other threads regarding naming. In the vast majority of cases in picking a name, it boils down more to founders and their personal issues with liking a name than the brandability and success of the name itself. There are some basic rules that matter but overall, being stuck on a name is more you than it is because the company couldn't succeed on a different name.

2. Given the situation with everything described above, I STRONGLY recommend you move on and find a different name regardless of any emotional attachment you may have with this one if you want to avoid issues later on. It's simply not worth it.

3. Asking to do a lawyer fight on this now doesn't make any sense. Unless you got a ton of money to burn for the sake of burning it, let go of this.

You may not like hearing what I have to say but honestly, its not worth it. Keep building, compete, etc... Just rebrand.

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer. This is not legal advice. Merely my own personal thoughts as an entrepreneur.


You're thinking way too much. Trying to predict what the future will be.

What relaunched said so succinctly: build and launch. Think of nothing else. Throw away your crystal ball.

Good luck


Your success isn't tied to your competitor. Build and release.




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