ideaI worked on an idea together with a few friends. The idea came from one of these friends. Our startup failed because the other guys lost interest in the idea. I want to continue to develop the idea and I told it to my friends. Now they said they want shares once I release the product (software).
Can I just take over the idea or do I have to give shares to them? I know you can’t copyright ideas. We developed an unfinished concept and design together, am I allowed to use it or would it be better to start new?
Thanks for your answers.
Ideas are a dime a dozen. If your former cofounders are in it, then they’re in it and executing full time. If they aren’t then you probably owe them nothing. To avoid tensions, have the company issue an IOU to compensate them for the time they sank in it, to be paid only if the company ever earns money. Have them wave all future claims in that agreement (get a lawyer involved) and call it a day.
There are multiple questions on this site already, with pointers on what to do next. In particular:
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