Hirschfeld: Founders should out-innovate copycats instead of wasting time patenting designs
Alexa Hirschfeld · Advice Line with Alexa Hirschfeld of Paperless Post · Feb 26, 2026 · at 15:10
Paperless Post co-founder Alexa Hirschfeld advises an entrepreneur on handling design copycats and protecting creative product lines.
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“I think that you probably shouldn't spend time worrying about patenting designs. You should focus on continuing to innovate and to offer this full authentic experience, which you really have. And I think copycats, they might look like your product, but I think for the people that are really looking to buy something that, that is going to Send the right message to the other person. They're actually, they're going to pay attention to the details, and I think in many cases, consumers aren't as easy to trick, and pandering to them with copycat inauthentic messages is just, it's not as effective as copycats might think.”
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