When somebody ripped my product off (made the counterfeit product in Lebanon - they even copied the copyright notices and our telephone number which was etched into the PCB) I was livid and really felt like beating the guy (an Egyptian 'make a fast buck' merchant) to death with my bare hands was the only way to get satisfaction. The product was simple, didn't contain a PIC or any software so was real easy for anyone to copy. My boss took me aside and basically said "Get over it. It would be two, maybe three years before it would erode significantly into our market share, and by that time we would have another fifty products in the field". A few threatening letters stopped them from using our name and phone number on their counterfeit product, but that's all. Today, there's about six companies that have ripped that product off, fighting amongst themselves for an ever decreasing market share. I'm happy in the knowledge I had exclusivity in the marketplace (and made good money) for almost three years before the product was copied. We ceased production last year, and yes in the interim we put around fifty new products into the field. So the advice here is not to waste your time or money on Litigation, but move on and do what you're good at.
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