>Or take the 'trade secrets' route and make sure only -you- know the
>crucial details for making it all work.

Maybe this works for a while. If one would have a rapidly evolving product
range then one could use this, and release everything by publishing it a
short while afterwards (say a year or two after the new product appears),
in trade magazines and such, but maintaining commercial rights on the
design. Then any copycats could not be commercial copycats, it would only
be of interest to hobbyists and one-offers who would not really compete
(this assumes that the original design is complex and was sold in large
numbers). Unfortunately this does not work for small developers for whom
every sold unit counts.

Peter

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