Inventor says shark app 'copied'
The Perth entrepreneur behind a mobile app that alerts users to shark sightings along the WA coast is threatening legal action after accusing the State Government of stealing his idea through its Sharksmart website.
iKoast creator Paul Holliday, who put $140,000 of his own money into the venture, said he was "absolutely gutted" when the Department of Fisheries launched its Sharksmart website last week, which it claimed was a world first.
Mr Holliday claims that the Sharksmart website's strategy of "pinning" shark sightings from the public and Surf Life Saving WA on a Google-type map is a virtual copy of the iKoast app, and in turn is breaching his intellectual property.
Fisheries rejected the claim yesterday.
After conceiving the idea in December 2012, Mr Holliday launched iKoast in March. He has so far had about 1500 downloads in WA.
Mr Holliday met an intellectual property lawyer this week but said he doubted he could afford to take action.
"There is no way they could not have known about iKoast," he said.
"I was in the media and I had meetings with so many departments of the State Government.
"I think they've looked into our app, seen the functionality of it and copied it . . . for me it is just way too similar."
Department of Fisheries regional services director Bruno Mezzatesta rejected the claim, saying the "Google map" element of the Sharksmart service had been in development since mid-last year.
"The Department of Fisheries does not accept the claims that the Sharksmart activity map has infringed intellectual property rights and is not aware of any meetings with the developers of the iKoast app," Mr Mezzatesta said.
Mr Holliday said his repeated requests for meetings with the department were rejected.
He said there was no way his small budget could compete with the Government website, though he was still hoping for a possible partnership.
