My guess is that Inprise is now losing a lot of employees, what else would explain what looks to me like an effort to stop the poaching of employees. When the "no" vote on the merger happens will there be anything left?
Tom
Friday April 7 8:35 PM ET
Inprise Says Files Suit Against Iona Technologies
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (Reuters) - Software developer Inprise/Borland Corp. (NasdaqNM:INPR - news), best known for its computer programming languages and tools, said on Friday it has filed a lawsuit against Iona Technologies Inc. (NasdaqNM:IONA - news) and its Ireland-based parent, alleging unfair business practices.
Formerly called Borland International, Inprise/Borland once was considered enough of a threat to Microsoft Corp.(NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) that Chairman Bill Gates wrote a metaphorical memo to his staff, directing them to ``kill Phillipe,' referring to Borland founder Phillipe Kahn.
On Monday, a federal judge found Microsoft, the world's biggest software company, guilty of violating antitrust law by abusing its monopoly in personal computer operating systems to harm rivals and consumers.
Inprise/Borland, in its lawsuit against Iona Technologies, claims that Iona wrongfully solicited its employees, diluted its trademark and logo, interfered with its customers and spread misinformation about Inprise/Borland products and services. The complaint also names Iona's parent, Iona Technologies PLC, of Ireland, as a defendant.
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Iona also allegedly ``engaged in unfair competition under the California Business and Professions Code,' Inprise/Borland said in a statement, outlining details of its complaint.
``We filed this lawsuit as a necessary step to protect our business and prevent unfair competition,' Dale Fuller, Inprise/Borland's president and chief executive, said in a statement.
Inprise/Borland, based in the Silicon Valley area, said it filed the complaint with California's Superior Court, adding that it pertains to Iona's parent corporation, Iona Technologies PLC.
Ottawa-based software company Corel Corp. (Toronto:COR.TO - news) (NasdaqNM:CORL - news), which has said it would acquire Inprise/Borland, was not mentioned in Inprise/Borland's statement.
Corel, best known for its word processing and graphics software, has recently moved into the hot market for the Linux operating system, which is seen as a potential rival to Microsoft's dominant Windows system.
Inprise/Borland has been selling Linux application development tools for about two years, Fuller said in a conference call in early February. |
