Microsoft sued over Halo 2 game packaging

[Alpine]

A SCANDINAVIAN firm has filed a legal action in a Washington court alleging that Microsoft and another firm broke NDAs, and misappropriated its trade secrets.



The firm, Glud and Marstrand (G&M), said it had developed proprietary tech for a metal container for DVDs and CDs designed to open and lay flat like a book.

But, alleges G&M which said it is Scandinavia's largest supplier of metal packaging, after it contacted Microsoft in 2002 as a potential customer for a video game case, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) was signed between the two firms. G&M then sent it heaps of information about the packaging, it alleges.

In 2003, Microsoft told G&M it wanted to use a metal case for the release of the Halo 2 game, and followed up by putting it in touch with plastics supplier Viva.

But, claimed G&M, Microsoft forwarded a request for proposal for a metal case and also sent one to Viva. Viva had not been a party to the NDA, claimed G&M.

After Microsoft rejected G&M's proposal, it was evasive about whether its technology had been passed on to Viva, the filing claimed.

G&M alleges that Microsoft knew Viva would compete with G&M for the Halo 2 case but kept that information from it. The filing said that if it knew Viva was a potential competitor it would never have supplied any proprietary information.

G&M alleges a case manufactured for Halo 2 by Viva contains G&M proprietary information, and used its proprietary information to make profits. Viva is alleged to have filed patent applications for cases using G&M technology. G&M alleges Viva and Microsoft are in a conspiracy, has breached all manners of laws, and wants damages. It also wants a court to injunct Microsoft and Viva. Glud & Marstrand AS is wholly owned by ABN-AMRO Capital. The case continues.


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