Sendo sues Microsoft over 'secret plan'

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Sendo today confirmed that it has filed a suit against Microsoft in a US federal suit, accusing the software giant of stealing its technology and customers. Sendo last month pulled its Microsoft Z100 Smartphone, just days from launch. At the time it said it had 'no choice'.

Reuters has the inside track on the case. It quotes people 'familiar with the court proceedings' that Sendo may claim hundreds of millions of dollars in damages - the Birmingham, UK phone designer reckons it lost a $300m annual revenue stream by parting from Microsoft, a shareholder in the company.

"Microsoft's secret plan was to plunder the small company of its proprietary information, technical expertise, market knowledge, customers and prospective customers," the filing said. "Microsoft gained Sendo's trust and confidence through false promises that Sendo would be its 'go-to-market-partner'."

"Microsoft used Sendo's knowledge and expertise to its benefit to gain direct entry into the burgeoning next-generation mobile phone market and then, after driving Sendo to the brink of bankruptcy, cut it out of the picture," the filings said.

News source: The Reg

This information was passed onto low-cost manufacturers in Asia, Sendo alleges. The first Microsoft Smartphone launched in Europe was the Orange SUV, built by Taiwanese firm HTC. It will be interesting to see if this deal is dragged into the case.

Sendo will now develop a smartphone based on the Symbian OS. But this will take many months, and money that the privately-held company hasn't got and furthermore, will find difficult to raise.

#1 Fubar on 24 Dec 2002 - 14:11

Im gonna rename that company to MircoSue

#2 Vlad on 24 Dec 2002 - 14:21

Seriously, how do you "steal" customers? Did AMD "steal" customers from Intel buy manufacturing a better processor but based on the same architecture? And unless these "promises" were in the form of a signed contract, I think it's going to be hard to prove damages. I don't know the full story between MS and Sendo. If MS really did screw them over, then I hope Sendo pins MS to the wall.

#3 danbalsh on 24 Dec 2002 - 14:23

I hope Sendo rot and die!!!! I was looking forward to there SmartPhone

(1 reply) #4 kuregu02 on 24 Dec 2002 - 14:25

[quote]Several sources told Reuters last month that Sendo management believed certain special features it had put in its phone over and above Microsoft's usual standard operating system had emerged in other smartphones Microsoft was involved in.[/quote] Hmm, I wonder what kind of features they are talking about. Personally I think they are taking advantage of Microsoft. What features do they have that no one else might of thought of with or without the help of Microsoft? And why should they be the only ones with that feature?

#4.1 Eric Ferleman on 25 Dec 2002 - 00:49

Yeah, Sendo probably thinks it will have enough support to win against Microsoft because of all the court bs over Microsoft.

(3 replies) #5 Fubar on 24 Dec 2002 - 14:36

they MUST have some kind of case for it to get to the court house in the first place so i wouldnt go round slamming a company cos there suing MS lets face it NO-ONE knows what the deal is out side of MS and Sendo

#5.1 macrosslover on 24 Dec 2002 - 14:46

LOL you really think so???? it doesn't take much to just file a case. this company is pure crap. i remember when they pulled their phone like 2 weeks before launch. they had their chance to release their product, THEY WILLINGLY chose not to release it, so Microsoft didn't cut them out of the picture they cut themselves out of the picture. what an outright lie. well it's from the Reg, apparently they don't know how to do research. but what gets me is their basic argument is that Microsoft didn't allow them to have a monolopy with the smartphone.......HAHAHAHA

but this has to be even stupider than the Sun case. now tell me WTF would a shareholder of a company want to ruin that company???? what sense does that make??

#5.2 Rambo2000 on 24 Dec 2002 - 16:00

Knowing Microsoft I wouldn't put my money past them to rob other companys, either way, this is bad advertisement for Microsoft and good advertisement for Linux

Eh?, if Microsoft can have a monolopy why can't the phone company?

you know in the future when everyone moves to Linux, these things will be a thing of the past, sueing them for this and that, in software anyway.

#5.3 macrosslover on 24 Dec 2002 - 16:49

yeah cause they'll have no money for the attorneys lol

#6 MadDog on 24 Dec 2002 - 19:13

Sendo had so many design delays and problems... they were probably going down the toilet on their own, which is why Microsoft cut them loose. Too bad, the phone looked very promising. Hate it that Sendo has to resort to a lawsuit instead of just admitting their product wasn't ready when they needed it to be.

#7 nicodareus on 24 Dec 2002 - 20:15

Personally I think Sendo Smartphones are junk and would never recommend them to anyone. I worked with their mid-stage to final-stage Smartphones (at Microsoft) for a year+ and had nothing but constant problems. There are other Smartphones and devices I work with which I like much better.

#8 intensityx on 26 Dec 2002 - 10:27

I Sendo you to your death muhaahhahhahha!

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