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Tell HN: Microsoft stole my SlideShare presentation

9 points by richf ↗ HN
By some random whim, I decided to look at an old presentation that I did for a local meetup on mobile application monetization. At the end of the presentation, I clicked on a similar presentation on the same topic to get a feel of the landscape.

Then, I noticed that this Microsoft presentation put together by a Microsoft employee is mostly a complete word-for-word rip-off of my presentation — he even stole my charts verbatim.

Personally, I don't care that he did it - I mean, a simple mention would've been nice, right? Food for thought.

My presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/richf23/mobile-app-monetization-and-business-models

His presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/MoMoManila/mobile-monetization-strategies-in-microsoft

13 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 49.7 ms ] thread
amikahmad
ugh. This is pretty bad. You should send a message asking for credit.
manuscreationis
If you feel like hes really copied your work without giving you credit, approach him over email or twitter privately, and ask him to rectify it.

Make sure you keep a copy of the original, infringing slideshow of his, incase he tries to change it after the fact and cover things up.

If he is uncooperative or unresponsive, escalate the issue. Take it to other members of the MS team on twitter, on fb, etc etc. Avoid direct attacks on this persons character, and instead make sure to frame it as you, the original author, just wanting his proper credit. If you can build up pressure, at the very least he'll be shamed away from doing this sort of thing again.

But try to reach out to him in a professional, non threatening manner first. You might be surprised by the response you get

richf
Thanks for the advice.

I'm flattered, quite honestly, to tell you the truth. A simple mention in size 6 font would've been sufficient for me.

manuscreationis
Thats what I figure - which is why I think a carefully tempered response is the right one at first.

But even if all you want is a size 6 mention, and he doesn't acknowledge or give you credit for your work, you should be prepared to make sure he does not make a habit of this kind of thing.

hoopism
At least he added the Microsoft touch by removing all the style and usability from it first.
richf
In some sinister — yet amusing way, I find that to be extremely funny.
amikahmad
haha just had a conversation about FUSE Labs and So.cl - this was by far the most circulated joke (or not).
ethomson
For what it's worth, this presentation was produced by a Microsoft MVP (Most Valued Partner), not by someone at Microsoft.
richf
I agree — at the time the presentation was produced, he was an external consultant for Microsoft.

However, as per his LinkedIn, he does work for Microsoft today:

Windows Phone Evangelist, Microsoft, Public Company; 10,001+ employees; MSFT; Computer Software industry [February 2012 – Present (4 months)] Philippines

brudgers
That doesn't change the fact that the headline is incorrect.
cico71
FWIW Most Valuable Professional http://mvp.microsoft.com

(there used to be a Most Valuable Partner program in the middle of the nineties I believe, this program basically started on Compuserve forums and there was a time where the two programs' names overlapped)

rashmi
This is Rashmi from SlideShare.

We have considered some way for people to officially acknowledge their inspiration by someone else's presentation. That might have helped in this case.

richf
Sure – and what would that be?