<< then copied the idea >>
I don't think the idea was so special. It's like Microsoft or Yahoo suing Google for copying the idea of a webmail service.
LimitNone is not happy because Google provides for free a tool similar to LimitNone's gMove, priced at $19. |
Some excerpts from CNet http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9976405-7.html :
<< Google initially helped LimitNone develop, promote, and sell the product, assuring LimitNone it wouldn't offer a competing product, but then reversed course by giving away its own tool, Google E-mail Uploader, to premier-level Google Apps customers, the lawsuit said.
"With gMove priced at $19 per copy and Google's prediction that there were potentially 50 million users, Google deprived LimitNone of a $950 million opportunity by offering Google's competitive product for free as a part of its 'premier' Google Apps package," the lawsuit, filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. (...)
"Without Google's knowledge and use of the gMove trade secrets and confidential information, Google would not have been able to solve its longstanding Microsoft Outlook to Gmail conversion problem," the lawsuit said. "At a minimum, Google's access to the internal workings of gMove allowed it to gain a significant head start on designing the inner workings for a competing application."
Google's product "copied gMove's look, feel, functionality, and distribution model, including several unique and proprietary operations," the suit said. >> |
Ionut, if you read the Reuters article it's tricky because Google had the company help them develop the tool, and then started offering it for free. However, the contract they entered into should have stipulated what Google could and could not do with the tool that company created, which I imagine would make this case pretty easy to determine (either they spelled it out and protected themselves, or they didn't and don't have much of a case). |
It's interesting to note that LimitNone removed from its site limitnone.com all the products related to Google Apps and now offers iPhone apps. |
Yes, very depend on the content of the contract between LimitNone and Google. It is possible the the idea (not patented) can be copied by anyone but Google if the contract forbidden Google to do so. |
So they are trying to get money from every single user. This sounds like how the RIAA trys to get $10,000,000 for every song when they sue a grand-mother.
I hope they are laughed out of court.
They could have offered a much better product if they improved their product BEYOND the free Google product. If it was worth the money people would have made the purchase.
LimitNone I would have skipped your product, please lower the amount your trying to collected by $19 please |
[Moved from "Sued again..." – Tony]
Google Sued Over Email Tool
A small software startup called LimitNone has filed a lawsuit against Google alleging that Google copied a tool that moves email users from Microsoft Outlook to Google's Gmail.
LimitNone claims that Google blocked the company from an estimated "$950 million dollar opportunity" by developing its "Google Email Uploader" as a competitor to LimitNone's similar tool called gMove.
LimitNone says it created gMove as part of an official Google developer program and was told that Google would not develop a similar tool. The suit alleges that Google broke its promise and developed its own software based on LimitNone's technology.
[snipped]
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/06/24/google-sued-over-email-tool |
