All very interesting reading and a situation that I have seen before.
I am very pleased to hear that the SEEK founders are Ex Indigo as that company has a good reputation for the miniaturisation and cost reduction of thermal camera technology. Very good credentials for the new SEEK product technical design, and very different to those of the Mu company who were total newbies
I do not work for FLIR and have no allegence to them per se but before anyone starts hurling rocks at them, please consider this.
FLIR are an aggressive company (no doubt about that) but that is nothing unusual in successful companies these days. They went out into the marketplace, identified smaller companies that had greater experience of certain thermal camera deign aspects and they bought them. The knowledge that came with those companies was invaluable in the production of new smaller and cheaper thermal cameras. Both FLIR and we (the customers) have benefitted from these developments as cameras no longer weigh almost 3kg and do not have a starting price of >$50,000 ! Without FLIR driving the market as it has, I have little doubt that quality thermal imaging cameras would still cost more than most of us can afford.
Along comes Indigo with their excellent knowledge of miniaturisation and cost reduction. FLIR want that knowledge and buy the company and the rights to some/all of its technology. FLIR are then in a position to manufacture those great miniature thermal cores that now reside in many CCTV and handheld cameras today. Great for industry and great for us ? You decide.
FLIR think they have the rights to the Indigo knowledge and believe they paid good money for such. An employee of Indigo, who is now working for them as part of FLIR, then decides to branch out and build similar products in a new start-up company..... who of you in a similar position to FLIR would not be concerned that the EMPLOYEE was involved in industrial espionage to forward his new company ? FLIR, like many companies were worried that the 'advantage' that they had just paid a great deal of money for, may be LEAKING out the door via this EMPLOYEE. Now FLIR may have got the situation wrong and as they settled it tends to support that possibility..... but so what ? They made a mistake and paid for it. This is nothing new or unusual. If you work for a company and then tell them you are leaving to start up another company making the same product technology, you can expect to be escorted off site immediately and investigated.
FLIR are a powerful player in the world of thermal imaging and have made great advances in the products they sell. They are expensive, but then so are many German cars.....so what ! You pay for advanced technology built to a high standard. Nothing new there. I have not seen evidence that FLIR has actively tried to unfairly torpedo any competing company in the world of thermal imaging.....unlike BMW who pursued any company with the word 'MINI' in the title !
The good news is that SEEK exists and will hopefully manage to go from strength to strength.
Aurora