Android’s co-creator Andy Rubin’s Essential has been sued over using a modular connector of Keyssa, a wireless technology company backed by iPod co-creator Tony Fadell. Essential is accused of stealing trade secrets of the wireless technology of Keyssa.
This lawsuit was filed on Monday alleges the company stole trade secrets. During the development of Essential’s phone Keyssa’s engineers trained Essential’s workers on the technology. Later on, Essential decided to use that information instead of partnering with the Faddell-backed company, according to the lawsuit.
According to Keyssa, Essential breached a nondisclosure agreement by using trade secrets. The practical application was the Essential Phone’s wireless connector, which attaches to a 360-camera accessory.
Keyssa’s officials stated,
“We provided extensive engineering guidance and confidential know-how to help Essential develop the wireless accessory connector used to connect the Essential Phone to accessories such as the Essential 360° Camera. We are pursuing this action because our attempts to resolve this matter through discussions with Essential have not been successful.”
Keyssa alleged that although Essential used a different chip yet the final version of Essential Phone design uses many of the techniques developed by Keyssa’s Engineers to make wireless connectors perform accurately in a phone. The name of the CEO of Andy Rubin’s Essential is not included in the lawsuit. From antenna designs to the procedure of testing phones in the manufacturing units, are being copied by Essential, claimed Keyssa.
According to Reuters, Essential considered Keyssa as the component supplier for Essential phones. Essential had a plan to move to another supplier who could meet their performance expectations for their gadgets.
As we earlier reported that Essential has sold around 5,000 phones so far which has caused a devastating situation for this emerging startup.
Image Source: Cnet
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