Mobile phone maker Sendo sues Microsoft

British mobile phone manufacturer Sendo Holdings PLC has filed suit against Microsoft Corp. in a U.S. federal court.

Sendo Holdings PLC, of Birmingham, England, Sendo Ltd., Sendo International Ltd., and Sendo America Inc., filed suit Friday with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Texarkana, Texas, seeking a jury trial against Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Washington, Microsoft Licensing Inc. and Microsoft Capital Corp.

“We believe the allegations are serious and substantial,” said Sendo spokeswoman Marijke van Hooren.

Microsoft was not immediately available for comment.

She refused to give further details of the complaint, referring to the court filing. A copy of the plaintiff’s complaint obtained by IDG News Service indicates that Sendo is charging Microsoft with using false promises of partnerships to deliver the Microsoft Smartphone platform to gain access to Sendo’s mobile phone expertise.

After gaining access to Sendo’s mobile phone experts and technologies, Microsoft then passed on Sendo’s proprietary hardware expertise and trade secrets to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that would release their own phones, competing with Sendo’s technology, the complaint alleges.

In essence, Microsoft used Sendo’s knowledge and expertise to launch its own entry into the mobile phone market, Sendo alleged in its complaint.

Sendo recently abandoned plans to produce a smart phone, the Z100, based on Microsoft’s Windows Powered Smartphone software, preferring instead to use software licensed from Nokia Corp. of Espoo, Finland.

The Z100 will now never see the light of day because Sendo terminated its license for Microsoft’s software, Van Hooren said.

Microsoft is an investor in Sendo, with a holding of less than 5 per cent, according to Van Hooren..

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Previous article
Next article

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now