I work at a small startup that sells financial management software to casinos (based on the west coast). One of our larger competitors just sent out a PDF to nearly all our customers in a targeted smear campaign warning everyone of serious security vulnerabilities in our system. The competitor-in-question basically recompiled our source code with a bunch of intentionally awful settings, and did some extensive pen testing, and used the results as "proof" that our product was insecure.
We've already lost 20% of our customers, and we expect to lose half of our customers by the end of the quarter. How the fuck are corporations allowed to get away with this? They are basically preying upon the technical illiteracy of our customers and blatantly LYING to them. But somehow we can't prosecute them because our customers aren't THEIR customers. I'm probably going to lose my fucking job in the next few months. Fuck this shit.
Our legal team says there is no case because it would be difficult, if not impossible, to prove that they recompiled our source code.
Anthony Fisher
Probs not legal - your legal department is just dumb or you consulted with a shitty lawyer
Luke Flores
deck them in the schnoz
Gabriel Collins
Should have been making free as in freedom software instead of proprietary software, OP.
Stallman warned you. The worse thing you can do is make proprietary software.
Aiden Hughes
Can't you prove their results are fake? Thus proving foul play?
Leo Foster
Do what said. If your program is secure, then it will be easy to proove the smear camping, and as said, have fun in court.
Logan Murphy
It's not legal but good luck fighting against them. Big companies have 24/7 lawyers that can defend them from any illegal activity. Small businesses are at a serious disadvantage.
Benjamin Butler
quit licking shit
Jose Sullivan
>startup that sells financial management software to casinos Nothing of value was lost.
>We've already lost 20% of our customers, and we expect to lose half of our customers by the end of the quarter And it's a good thing.
Tell the people who got that PDF that the competitor actually forged a copy of your software and made fake security vulnerabilities to scare you guys
Adam Barnes
>recompiled source code wut >lost 20% customers immediately wut >50% by end of quarter lol, not only does this story not make sense, but if that is all it takes for your customers to jump ship you have other problems. this shit is probably all made up anyways
Sebastian Campbell
A court victory isn't gonna bring all the customers back. They're fucked.
Welcome to America. If you can't handle simple corporate warfare then leave.
Adam Adams
Respectfully, your in-house legal team is not an independent forensics expert. There is a whole field of reverse-engineering for forensic purposes (mostly malware analysis but there are other things too).
By the way, you should consider whether you're really a "small startup" if you have your own "legal team". You should also be reflecting on the quality of your in-house "legal team": you are competitors so you probably do have locus standi in what sounds like a moderately routine libel case. You ought to consider engaging external counsel for a likelihood-of-success opinion.
(This is, obviously, not legal advice, because only a complete moron would ever seek legal advice on Jow Forums. This is someone on Jow Forums telling you to get proper legal advice.)
Austin Nguyen
nice larp
Jayden Morales
"Customers" is really just business jargon for money
This
Parker Walker
Release your own PDF analyzing the hitjob?
Tyler Martin
how the absolute fuck did they get their hands on your source code? /thread
Brandon Reed
>Intel Corporation retard is getting fired And so it starts. Have fun where you're going :^)
Joshua Bell
And why does it took so much time to ask this question?
Absolut functional analfabetics.
Benjamin Allen
Send your's and their's customers email that their lies and breaked your software only to sell their's. Also write that their's software is boken and shit.
Henry Thompson
How the fuck did they get your source code?
Kevin Cox
Most lawyers have no idea how computers work. Ask someone who's an expert on digital forensics, not law.
