A word for advantages gained by sabotaging competitors

Question

Is there a word to describe the competitive advantage gained from sabotaging a competitor, or more generally the advantage gained from dishonesty?

An example: Your office receives pamphlets advertising an office cleaning service. Your current office cleaning service steals and hides that pamphlet before an employee at the office can see it. What words can one use to concisely describe the advantage that your current cleaning service has gained?

Answer 1

I would call them ill-gotten gains. I believe this could apply to the intangible.

Obtained in an evil manner or by dishonest means: ill-gotten gains.

Answer 2

I can't think of a single word for unfair advantage, but I suggest the following:

• The company had gained an unscrupulous advantage.
• The edge was earned through dishonest/crooked/unfair/dodgy means.
• As cornbread says, the company's advantage was ill-gotten.

Answer 3

You could say that the cleaning company in your example has won a pyrrhic victory in that they may have gained a temporary financial advantage, but have undermined themselves as a trustworthy company.

Answer 4

Despoliation ("a stripping or plundering; spoliation") or spoliation itself seem like possibilities. The latter term has senses including

• The act of plundering or spoiling; robbery; deprivation; despoliation.
• Robbery or plunder in times of war; especially, the authorized act or practice of plundering neutrals at sea.
• (law) The intentional destruction of or tampering with (a document) in such way as to impair evidentiary effect.

Also consider terms like encroachment, usurpation, traduction, arrogation, ruthlessness.