Ruck asked:


Legal question about starting a company/product.?
Hi,

I have a legal question regarding the staring of my own company and web application. Here are the details:

1. Me and my business partner briefly worked for someone we both new on his pre-existing application because he needed a lot of help and was letting the company fall apart.
2. We both worked for 2-3 weeks for him, troubleshooting and handling customer calls.
3. We both signed no employment contracts, no confidentiality contracts, or any contract what so ever.
4. We were both paid case, and not on a “payroll” because he doesn’t even have a payroll. His company is basically just him.
5. After seeing that this guy was letting his company implode, not answering any customer calls, has a huge gambling/weed/cocaine problem, we both just quit helping him out since we both already had other jobs and were doing this just as a favor.
6. The guy went literally insane during this time and went to a mental hospital for a month.
7. During this time, me and my potential business partner decided to make a better, competing product that we have started developing.
8. Our new product does not use any of his technologies and is designed and coded differently and looks nothing like his product The other guy does not have his product trademarked, copyrighted, or anything of that nature. And I don’t even think he has filed takes for his company in the last 4 years or even incorporated himself correctly.
9. We have not talked to, tampered with, or even hinted to any of the 40 or so current customers he has that we are doing or own thing. We don’t plan to contact his customers at all and plan to sell our application in other states and regions.

My question is, does this guy have any legal leg to stand on in the future if he gets any ideas of bringing up legal action against us? He has already found out about our plans by hacking into my partners email and is sending me threatening emails telling me I better stop what I am doing now ‘for the benefit of my career’.

Enda

One Response to “Legal question about starting a company?”

1. Judy on January 1st, 2010 10:13 pm

   Lannie

   Sure doesn’t sound ike he’d have any valid claim. But he could of course be a huge nuisance.