[plug] [link] Microsoft being `kind' to its partners again

[Leon Brooks]

"I will be merciful... quick..."

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/59/28677.html

    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'.

    [...] 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.

    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.

The lion may well lie down with the lamb, but who do you bet is the 
one to get up?

No chutzpah involved, setting this up while on trial for exactly this 
kind of thing, is there?

Cheers; Leon