The Fine Line Between Spying And Strategy: Competitive Intelligence's Legal Limits And Practical Considerations

Although the market trends may change faster than ever today, companies have been gathering competitive intelligence ("CI") since the dawn of capitalism. It's not a new concept, but there are new ways to do it—some more strategic than others.

To set the record straight, CI is not a corporate game of "I Spy." It does not involve theft, electronic eavesdropping, hacking, bribery, or hiring a competitor's employees to divulge confidential information. CI is the tactical gathering of market and competitor information that can be used to identify risks, opportunities, and changing conditions in an industry.

It's no secret that companies gather CI in several ways, from attending trade shows, talking to customers who do business with competitors, probing marketing materials and blogs online, and contracting consultants to provide market analysis. But at what point has a company gone too far?