RSSGoogle sued for $1B on IP theft allegations
By Jacqueline Emigh | Published June 25, 2008, 4:33 PM
In a nearly $1 billion lawsuit, Google is being charged by Chicago start-up LimitNone with misappropriating trade secrets in developing "Google Email Uploader."
The suit alleges that Google copied LimitNone's "gMove" e-mail and calendar migration tool and then used the design to augment Google Apps.
"Google claims its core philosophy is 'Don't be evil' but, simply put, they invited us to work with them, to trust them -- and then stole our technology," said LimitNone's CEO, Ray Glassmann, in a prepared statement.
"It's shocking that Google would engage in this type of conduct; particularly when the other party is a small software company that built its business specifically to help Google sell its existing and future products. People need to realize that Google is just another large publicly traded corporation that will do whatever it takes to increase its revenue, even if that means risking its reputation among developers."
The lawsuit over the e-mail tool was filed on LimitNone's behalf by Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, a commercial litigation group which has also brought legal challenges against Google over its online advertising.
Seeking up to $950 million in compensation for lost revenue, the lawsuit also alleges that Google violated Illinois' consumer fraud laws in producing "Google Email Uploader."
thatsthefunnythingavoutdevelopingandusingsomeoneelse'sopensourcecode
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I couldn't profit with your product so I sue you!
I would really like this kind of people ended paying for all the trouble they generate. Be a man, acknowledge the business wasn't good and move on to a new project.
Of course, next time evaluate very well what you do, what you want to profit for it and if it's viable. Selling a product for people using a free service for that amount of money they are suing for is plainly stupid.
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How can Google misappropriate trade secrets of a program that is built around their own Google Email API?
The application is not even on their website anymore. This tells me a great deal about the company which is several things that concern me.
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Okay, a quick look on Google's blog says that gMove was created using a Google API and was not the only option available, and encouraged others to create their own using the very same API.
So, at face value, this looks like someone came up with an idea for a product that was encouraged by Google (who provided some tools on how to do so) and unlike the others who came up with the same idea, charged for it. No one bought the version they created, choosing freeware instead, and now LimitNone is suing Google for fraud.
Wow. The nerve of Google.
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