Israeli University, The Technion Sues Microsoft For $6.45 Million, Alleging Improper IP Use

Posted on Jun 8 2012 - 12:03pm by CONTRIBUTOR

Editor’s Note: Guest Author Pradeep Yadav, a technology lover, analyzer and  love reporting about different technologies.

Israeli national newspaper Calacalist reports that The Technion – Israel Institute of technology sued Microsoft for damages of NIS 25 million ($6.45 million) for allegedly using intellectual property belonging to one of its professors, Rann Smorodinsky. Back in 2008, the software giant bought a intellectual property from Israeli ad-targeting company Ya Data but the university clams that same part of the IP that it acquired were develops by university professor Smorodinsky.

Expanding the lawsuit filing, Globes.il adds:

The Technion also contends that Microsoft continued to employ Smorodinsky and YaData R&D team, despite the Technion’s protests and the fact that it bans its faculty from working for other employers, except with prior written approval.

The Technion says that YaData’s founders, and subsequently Microsoft, were aware of the restrictions placed by the Technion on the intellectual property. The Technion appended letters from late 2006 through 2008 in which it notified all the relevant parties about these restrictions. In September 2006, it granted Smorodovsky the right to transfer the company’s know-how on the condition that his consultancy was limited to business and commercial matters. If he wanted to expand the topics of the consultancy, he would have to notify the university, which would review this on a case-by-case basis.

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