Imagine this scenario:

You were invited to interview with a multinational, a competitor with your current employers in the same industry.
They ask you to prepare a problem-solving presentation based on a supposedly fictional scenario. You oblige, and offer a few tips and tricks that you currently use on your job, all in a bid to impress. They are clearly impressed and promise to get back to you.

Suprisingly, when you do hear from them, it's a standard form letter rejection. However, a few days later, next thing you know, they launch a campaign, using the very ideas you presented to them. To the letter, even using some euphemisms you coined in your presentation.

What would you do? This actually happened to a very good friend of mine.

Has the interviewee considered taking legal action against the company. I doubt s/he will meet with much success in this country but in the west this option will still seriously considered.

i swear if this was not outright theft it would be funny

sadly i doubt if there's anything he can do

nigerians . . .

There is nothing to be done and they know it too. taking it up means exposing yourself and running the risk of your organisation accusing you of using inside knowledge of how they gain competitive advantage for your personal use.
It happens all the time, you go to a bank with a feasibility study, which they reject and the next thing someone in the bank uses it to do the same job,
you quote for a job and you are told you are too expensive only for the client to give the job to an insider using your quote for leverage.
in summary he should just lick his wounds and move on or does he have written proof of it e.g a duplicate copy of his answer to their scenario.

AjanleKoko:

Imagine this scenario:

You were invited to interview with a multinational, a competitor with your current employers in the same industry.
They ask you to prepare a problem-solving presentation based on a supposedly fictional scenario. You oblige, and offer a few tips and tricks that you currently use on your job, all in a bid to impress. They are clearly impressed and promise to get back to you.

Suprisingly, when you do hear from them, it's a standard form letter rejection. However, a few days later, next thing you know, [b]they launch a campaign, using the very ideas you presented to them.[/b] To the letter, even using some euphemisms you coined in your presentation.

What would you do? This actually happened to a very good friend of mine.

It is quite possible that they were already working on the idea before your friend came along. It takes several weeks (not a few days) to develop and launch a new product/campaign. If I find myself in a similar position I wont do anything unless I can prove that my idea was so unique and innovative that I can prove beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law that it has been copied and potential legal remedy far outweigh the legal cost. I have made the assumption that your friend didn't present a trade secret or restricted information as this would have been highly unprofessional.

pluto04:

It is quite possible that they were already working on the idea before your friend came along. It takes several weeks (not a few days) to develop and launch a new product/campaign. If I find myself in a similar position I wont do anything unless I can prove that my idea was so unique and innovative that I can prove beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law that it has been copied and potential legal remedy far outweigh the legal cost. I have made the assumption that your friend didn't present a trade secret or restricted information as this would have been highly unprofessional.

In my industry, campaigns/new products can be launched in a matter of days.
We all use the same vendors, same systems.

pluto04:

It is quite possible that they were already working on the idea before your friend came along. It takes several weeks (not a few days) to develop and launch a new product/campaign. If I find myself in a similar position[b] I wont do anything unless I can prove that my idea was so unique and innovative that I can prove beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law that it has been copied and potential legal remedy far outweigh the legal cost.[/b] I have made the assumption that your friend didn't present a trade secret or restricted information as this would have been highly unprofessional.

I bet no one will listen to you unless your idea was patented.  That asides, i doubt if Nigeria has much provisions for intellectual property rights given we are still having problems in this country enforcing basic fundamental human rights.

@OP

There's really nothing I'd do if i were in your friend's shoes.  At best, I'd start a never ending expensive legal claim that I'm sure i wouldn't win in the end, but may have caused the company a lot of embarrassment.  At the worst, i'd resort to fighting dirty through online media, journals and magazines.  If i'm downright bitter and beastly, i'd resort to digging up any dirt i could on the company, it's directors, major clients or anyone closely related to it's senior management.