MD of MobiRes, Fraser Gregg, is accusing MTN of stealing his intellectual property after the cellular provider requested proposals for a travel and accommodation booking product that he has been working on with MTN since 2010.
The Sunday Times is reporting that the cellular provider launched MTN Traveller in November 2010. The product was initially pitched by MobiRes in May that same year with a non-disclosure and a confidentiality agreement that was signed between both the parties.
The application provided an online booking and payment service for accommodation, car rental and airline tickets.
This year, on 18 March, MTN sent out a proposal looking for a supplier to develop a system that allows users to make travel and accommodation bookings from their smartphones.
MD of MobiRes Fraser Gregg who demonstrated the idea at the launch in 2010, said MTN is contravening the non-disclosure agreement and infringing on the intellectual property of MobiRes.
"We introduced conceptualised, designed and developed a mobile travel solution and took it to MTN as a possible partnership. MTN, did not, as per tender e-mail, identify a new e-ticketing business opportunity," Gregg said in the newspaper.
MTN response
Responding to this, MTN said that MobiRes had been given more than enough time to deliver a product after the MTN Traveller launch.
General manager: commercial legal at MTN Fusi Mokoena told the newspaper that MTN has not used any of ideas that were pitched by MobiRes in the request for proposals.
"MobiRes was engaged for a period of two years, after which period MobiRes has not delivered any product that we could deem ready to market and/or for commercial use. Surely MTN cannot expected to be bogged down in that relationship," he said.
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