LimitNone, a small software-development company, is seeking nearly $1bn (£508m) in damages in a lawsuit that accuses Google of reneging on a partnership with the company and misappropriating its trade secrets for the Google Apps online service. Specifically, the suit concerns LimitNone software called gMove that is designed to let people move email, contacts and calendar information stored in Microsoft Outlook to Google's online service.

The lawsuit states Google initially helped LimitNone develop, promote and sell the product, assuring LimitNone that it wouldn't offer a competing product, but then reversed course by giving away its own tool, Google Email Uploader, to premier-level Google Apps customers.

View: The full story @ vnunet



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Quote this comment Reply to this comment #1 Posted by RawGutts on 25 Jun 2008 - 10:19
Noooo never, I just can't believe this. Google would never do such a thing!

Hey I got some nice swamp land that has a view of the beach, anyone want to buy it cheap?

Everyone should trust the great empire of Google, who else would you want to carry your Medical records.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #2 Posted by Terry_X on 25 Jun 2008 - 10:48
lol google...dont be evil!
(2 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #3 Posted by +Volatile on 25 Jun 2008 - 11:12
someone wants some $$
Quote this comment #3.1 Posted by bmaher on 25 Jun 2008 - 11:50
If what they're saying is the truth, and they had a contract, they're perfectly entitled to damages.

However, if they were stupid enough to trust them and not sign a contract, they deserve it.
Quote this comment #3.2 Posted by +macf13nd on 25 Jun 2008 - 11:57
(bmaher said @ #3.1)
If what they're saying is the truth, and they had a contract, they're perfectly entitled to damages.

However, if they were stupid enough to trust them and not sign a contract, they deserve it.


indeedy.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #4 Posted by arcane47 on 25 Jun 2008 - 12:50
I must add that the Google Email Uploader is exactly what I was looking for to merge old PST files with my google apps account. Brilliant!

Works with ease.
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #5 Posted by +HappyAndyK on 25 Jun 2008 - 13:51
Looks like Googles 'age of innocence' is over !
Quote this comment #5.1 Posted by toadeater on 25 Jun 2008 - 21:58
(HappyAndyK said @ #5)
Looks like Googles 'age of innocence' is over !


Now they will become the new Microsoft.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #6 Posted by Ikshaar on 25 Jun 2008 - 13:59
Not sure which one is the vulture here... would not be the first company who is in the business of suing successful ones.
As they say `if you cannot beat them, sue them`.
(6 replies) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #7 Posted by C_Guy on 25 Jun 2008 - 14:13
Why would you expect anything better from a company that has already made such a mockery of their own "do no evil" motto?

I suppose they could replace 'no' with 'much' but then the motto would be true and that just won't do for a company that reads it's customer's e-Mail to deliver advertisements to them.
Quote this comment #7.1 Posted by Vlad on 25 Jun 2008 - 14:23
You (purposefully, I imagine) make it sound like Google employees are sitting there, reading emails, picking and choosing ads to deliver users. Which frankly, is retarded, and shows you have no idea 1) how the Internet works or 2) what evil really is.

Do you actually think adding text ads to email is evil or are you just comment trolling?
Quote this comment #7.2 Posted by portauthority on 25 Jun 2008 - 15:06
The Google fanboyism is getting really old. Take it to the Google discussion boards or something...
Quote this comment #7.3 Posted by +Dakkaroth on 25 Jun 2008 - 16:24
That's not fanboyism, that's just using your head. Do you know how many emails travel the internet? To have some sort of team sitting there and reading them would be INSANE! You'd need incredible manpower to do that. And for what though? To see a couple of words and deliver ads based on them? If they really read each email, they'd have the correct ads. Honestly, more than half the time it doesn't work.

Oh, but I guess this mysterious manpower exists entirely underground where not a single word of it gets out. Seriously, the only I see saying,"Google reads mail," are people like Steve Ballmer who say it as if it'll push people away from Google's services.
Quote this comment #7.4 Posted by Shadrack on 25 Jun 2008 - 22:48
(C_Guy said @ #7)
Why would you expect anything better from a company that has already made such a mockery of their own "do no evil" motto?

I suppose they could replace 'no' with 'much' but then the motto would be true and that just won't do for a company that reads it's customer's e-Mail to deliver advertisements to them.


You think Google hires people to read my email?
Quote this comment #7.5 Posted by +Dakkaroth on 26 Jun 2008 - 05:41
Don't question him. He's been posting the same crap like that for a while now in any thread that involves Google. If you're going to call Google "evil", the least you could do is use a more valid argument. At least, one that would actually make sense.

Personally, I find no company to be exactly good. They're all out to get your money, and they'll stop at nothing to get it. The only companies that are good in our eyes are the ones who can deliver great affordable products and/or services.
Quote this comment #7.6 Posted by Joshie on 26 Jun 2008 - 06:18
Wouldn't it end up costing more to pay the people needed to read all the email sent through Google than any money made back from the advertising?
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #8 Posted by ~InstaShock~ on 25 Jun 2008 - 14:46
Hmm Well if this is the case of "if you cannot beat them, sue them" then i'm sure google would be able to handle it. But if they're(Google) making a mockery of their motto by actually using trade secrets of a small company.. Then i'd suggest every small company to sue they're a** off..

However i don't wanna believe that a company so dedicated towards providing excellent solutions to users would do such things..

But i'm open to everything, these days money is what everyone sees nothing else...
(1 reply) Quote this comment Reply to this comment #9 Posted by ANova on 25 Jun 2008 - 16:09
With gMove priced at $19 per copy and Google's prediction that there were potentially 50 million users, Google deprived LimitNone of a $950m opportunity by offering Google's competitive product for free as a part of its 'premier' Google Apps package,"


Whether or not the accusation is true, they would absolutely not get 100% of google's userbase buying their product, far from it. Besides, if it weren't for google their product would be worthless. Sounds to me like just another greedy company trying to get what they don't deserve.
Quote this comment #9.1 Posted by z0phi3l on 25 Jun 2008 - 19:22
(ANova said @ #9)
With gMove priced at $19 per copy and Google's prediction that there were potentially 50 million users, Google deprived LimitNone of a $950m opportunity by offering Google's competitive product for free as a part of its 'premier' Google Apps package,"


Whether or not the accusation is true, they would absolutely not get 100% of google's userbase buying their product, far from it. Besides, if it weren't for google their product would be worthless. Sounds to me like just another greedy company trying to get what they don't deserve.



Problem is, it's all the rage to portray Google as the "bad" guys, you know EVERY "Big" business is "bad" or they would have never gotten "big" according to your friendly Socialists
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #10 Posted by HalcyonX12 on 25 Jun 2008 - 21:40
This is perfectly legitimate. I'm sure no other application has ever been able to import or work with Outlook data before.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #11 Posted by +Neo003 on 26 Jun 2008 - 02:44
Welcome to the big league I guess.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #12 Posted by j2006 on 26 Jun 2008 - 04:08
I agree with this being perfectly legit.

I like Google and all.. but it's Google's stupid fault for doing that.. they should've known better.
Such hypocrites of their own "do no evil" saying.

1 bill is a lot though, I hope this teaches them a lesson.
Then again, it could help them improve, because lots of big corporations get sued, and it makes them change their ways.
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #13 Posted by Airlink on 26 Jun 2008 - 06:51
Welcome to America, land of the litigious, home of the under-insured.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIllRdSzSug
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #14 Posted by Redmak on 26 Jun 2008 - 07:19
I wish I could earn $1bn for creating an app that lets people move email, contacts and calendar information
Quote this comment Reply to this comment #15 Posted by mocax on 26 Jun 2008 - 08:51
If a large company (let's say, Symantec) creates a similar application but with much better features, would LimitNone sue that company?

And if LimitNone get their way, wouldn't that make them a monopoly?
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