Andre Yoskowitz
25 May 2007 9:31
StreamCast Networks Inc., the firm behind the P2P client Morpheus has filed a lawsuit against Skype and Joost in a dispute over technology that makes it "easier to place Internet phone calls and watch videos on the Web."
The lawsuit states that Morpheus had "the right of first refusal" when the founders of Kazaa, (also the founders of Joost) sold the failing company and transferred its P2P technology FastTrack to another firm.
The founders used the technology to create Skype a few years back, and the company was bought by eBay in 2005 for $2.6 billion USD.
"But for this act that happened some years ago, we would be Skype," said Daniel Woods, an attorney for Morpheus.
Lawyers for Joost said the legal claims have no merit and should be thrown out.
The lawsuit also claims that after the sale of Kazaa, the FastTrack technology was disabled, which forced Morpheus users to move away from the Morpheus client. Morpheus was then forced to develop and implement alternate technology, the lawsuit claims.
StreamCast is hoping to receive money from the sale of Skype to eBay as well as an injunction barring the FastTrack technology from use on Joost.
Source:
Press Release