VeriFone caught copying Square

Fierce Mobile Content reports.

VeriFone introduced SAIL earlier this month. The platform enables merchants to process credit and debit payments by sliding the customer's card through a dongle that plugs into Apple's iPhone and Google Android smartphones.

While VeriFone's SAIL looks physically different, the agreement and usage terms are remarkably similar, as large chunks of text have been directly copied straight from Square's merchant agreement, The San Francisco Chronicle states.

The incident highlights increasing rivalry within the mobile payments space, as larger companies such as PayPal, VeriFone and Intuit target Square's rapid growth, GigaOM says.

Sean Kane, a member of law firm Pillsbury's social media, entertainment and technology team, explains that a company caught copying another firm's legal user agreements or terms of service could be sued for copyright infringement.