4 ms·

I can tell it’s a billion dollar business, I launched a Meditation app two months ago, we had good retention and users were loving the app. Then the guy we hire

by thepumpkin1979 8y ago

I can tell it’s a billion dollar business, I launched a Meditation app two months ago, we had good retention and users were loving the app. Then the guy we hired to do the voice over disappeared with no explanation so we couldn’t fulfill our promise of “daily meditation” because the voice was not the same. 15 days later I understood why: We received a Cease and Desist from one of the companies behind the top meditation and mindfulness apps in the AppStore. They certainly don’t want anybody to enter that niche.

rhizome 8y ago
A cease and desist based on what?
- jacquesm 8y ago
  Not being mindful to their god given right to make a profit?
faceyspacey 8y ago
Can you elaborate on the cease and desist? Is there a patent on daily meditations. Sounds hardly "mindful" (without knowing the details).
- thepumpkin1979 8y ago
  The cease and desist included, in addition to some screens they said we copied from their design, part of the scripts which I wasn't aware they copyrighted. We didn't copy anything, the text from the meditation we took it from Shunryu Suzuki's book.
  - budadre75 8y ago
    how do they even copyright other's work as their own?
  - namlem 8y ago
    You can't have a copyright for text that someone else wrote unless they sell it to you.
fwip 8y ago
Your voice guy quit because he knew 15 days from then you'd receive a cease & desist letter from another company?
- thepumpkin1979 8y ago
  We hired him in a talent website, when I say he disappeared is because he was just unavailable to continue doing the voice over for us, he was not available for booking anymore. I suspect this company reached out to him, booked him heavily or something so he was not available for us.
- brandmeyer 8y ago
  My guess is that their voiceover guy had an exclusivity agreement with the other company. He could live in a jurisdiction that enforces non-compete agreements, or he could have been currently employed by the competitor with a full-employment clause in it.
matte_black 8y ago
If I ever have more money then I know what to do with, I would love to bankroll some of these legal battles pro bono like Peter Thiel so that when someone sends a frivolous cease and desist they end up regretting it.
siruncledrew 8y ago
Seems like the only thing they were mindful of was how many dollars were going to their bank account each month. I hate companies like this because they only care about exploiting trends to suck out money.

rhizome 8y ago

A cease and desist based on what?

jacquesm 8y ago
Not being mindful to their god given right to make a profit?

faceyspacey 8y ago

Can you elaborate on the cease and desist? Is there a patent on daily meditations. Sounds hardly "mindful" (without knowing the details).

thepumpkin1979 8y ago
The cease and desist included, in addition to some screens they said we copied from their design, part of the scripts which I wasn't aware they copyrighted. We didn't copy anything, the text from the meditation we took it from Shunryu Suzuki's book.
- budadre75 8y ago
  how do they even copyright other's work as their own?
- namlem 8y ago
  You can't have a copyright for text that someone else wrote unless they sell it to you.

fwip 8y ago

Your voice guy quit because he knew 15 days from then you'd receive a cease & desist letter from another company?

thepumpkin1979 8y ago
We hired him in a talent website, when I say he disappeared is because he was just unavailable to continue doing the voice over for us, he was not available for booking anymore. I suspect this company reached out to him, booked him heavily or something so he was not available for us.
brandmeyer 8y ago
My guess is that their voiceover guy had an exclusivity agreement with the other company. He could live in a jurisdiction that enforces non-compete agreements, or he could have been currently employed by the competitor with a full-employment clause in it.

matte_black 8y ago

If I ever have more money then I know what to do with, I would love to bankroll some of these legal battles pro bono like Peter Thiel so that when someone sends a frivolous cease and desist they end up regretting it.

siruncledrew 8y ago

Seems like the only thing they were mindful of was how many dollars were going to their bank account each month. I hate companies like this because they only care about exploiting trends to suck out money.