Google Sued Over Email Tool

[WhoNet]

Google Sued Over Email Tool

By Mike Sachoff - 06/24/2008

Startup alleges it lost $950 Million

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.

In the suit LimitNone alleges that a Google employee told the company the opportunity was "just too big to come from someone else."

gMove does not have a patent, but LimitNone and its attorneys, Kelley Drye & Warren, are hoping to prove Google copied the company's trade secrets.

Google launched its free competing email migration tool, "Google Email Uploader" earlier this year, which the suit claims is "almost identical" to gMove and that "both operate under a similar conceptual design."

After Google began to compete with it, Palatine, Illinois-based LimitNone focused its business on the emerging market for business software developed to work on the Apple iPhone.

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/06/24/google-sued-over-email-tool

 

[Ronald Regging]

Another frivolous lawsuit. Please... they act like an email migration tool is a unique concept. And they claim its "almost identical"... Well of course it's almost identical, because it probably does the exact same thing, because that's what you HAVE to do to migrate the email from one to the other...

 

[daj]

"LimitNone says it created gMove as part of an official Google developer program and was told that Google would not develop a similar tool."

They deserve to get sued for going against their word!

 

[Ronald Regging]

"LimitNone says it created gMove as part of an official Google developer program and was told that Google would not develop a similar tool."

They deserve to get sued for going against their word!

We obviously don't know the specifics of the case yet, but Google does have an official developer program and as far as I know it's open to anyone. Meaning that more than likely Google didn't specifically choose them to work on this project. You can develop all kinds of apps using Google's API, but that doesn't give you exclusive rights to anything except your own code. As far as their claim that Google said they would not develop a similar tool, that just sounds ridiculous. If someone asked me if I had plans to become a doctor, I would say no, but does that mean I am legally obligated to never become a doctor? It's not like they had a legal contract with Google that gave them exclusive rights to develop the program. Google has it's own proprietary software and business model, if they decide that they want to develop a tool that benefits their users, why shouldn't they?

There have been far worse cases where developers are screwed over than this. I can think of a few Open Source projects that had hundreds of developers working hand in hand with the creators in order to make applications for their software. Then the company gets sold and the new owner turns into a Closed Source commercial application and threatens all of the previous developers with TM infringement suits if they continue to use the name of the software in their applications...

It's business.

 

[cartoonz]

Let's see...
Google wants to make it painless for its users to migrate from another app to Gmail, at no cost.

These other guys are pissed because they could not charge users for an app to accomplish the same end.

uhhh... yeah, right.

 

[weblord]

they're just losing money over someone that they know they won't win.