iPhone app developer Hottrix has a filed a lawsuit, worth GBP7.1 million, against Molson Coors Brewing and Beattie McGuinness Bungay for copying its “iBeer” application for creating their own “iPint”.
Steve Sheraton from Hottrix, the original creator of the application, alleged that the brewing company has illicitly lifted his idea of iBeer for promoting its Carling brand of beer.
The lawsuit states that Beattie McGuinness Bungay approached Hottrix for licensing its iBeer and accelerometer application that makes the virtual beer looks real when it is being drunk from the tip of the phone.
Hottrix refused the proposal, after which the ad agency developed its own iPint, with the help of Sweden based Illusion Labs.
The filing further stated that the simulated iPint application has affected the popularity of iBeer 2.0, as the users could apparently enjoy the same application through the advert, without actually paying USD2.99 for the iBeer application.
In addition, Sheraton also claimed that iPint had a whopping 600,000 downloads worldwide, all of which have “significantly impair the downloading of the iBeer content” and hence he is asking for a compensation worth USD12.5 million for the lost profits.
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