Bold: DICE filed 'under-handed' lawsuit because it's 'unable to compete'
This Blog's on Fire (And Other Stuff)
By Tess Nacelewicz
Updated Thu November 10, 2011
Security Systems News has been writing for a few months about a lawsuit filed by central station automation platform provider DICE Corp. against its competitor Bold Technologies. Michigan-based DICE filed suit against Bold in federal court in August, alleging that Bold unlawfully accessed DICE's proprietary software with the aid of Amy Condon, a former DICE employee hired by Bold.
In a recent story, I wrote about how the legal dispute ratcheted up in October when DICE filed three additional allegations against Bold in federal court, accusing Bold of copyright infringement and violation of two federal laws.
Now Bold, in a response filed in court this month, not only denies those claims and asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, but levels its own charges against DICE. Bold contends in its Nov. 1 filing that “unable to compete with [Bold] in the marketplace, and in a misguided attempt to level the playing field,” DICE “has launched a baseless lawsuit against Bold.”
Also, Bold president Rod Coles is speaking out to publicly to address DICE's claims and defend itself. Here's what Coles had to say in a letter posted on the company's website:
“I have had so many calls of support from customers, vendors and industry colleagues that I felt that it was necessary for Bold to respond to the allegations leveled against it by the Dice Corporation in the recent lawsuit.
Firstly, Bold Technologies Ltd. has built its business for over 30 years, upon a reputation of providing innovative and leading edge products, combined with the best service in the industry. The way we conduct business, our ethics as a company and as individual employees, is paramount. Indeed our mission statement reflects this very belief:
The Mission of Bold Technologies is to partner with our customers to enable them to control, grow, and differentiate their businesses by providing them with products and services, guided by these four prevailing principles:
1. Provide innovative, future proof, high value solutions that address customer driven needs.
2. Foster long-term relationships by making every interaction centered on quality.
3. Maintain the highest ethical standards. Always.
4. Give back by contributing to both our business and local communities.
Having conducted a detailed internal review of our processes and talked in depth with our staff Bold Technologies Ltd is 100% confident that the charges leveled against it are completely false. I would like to also add that Amy Condon is an employee of the highest ethics and a consummate professional, and that the allegations leveled at her are also completely false.
In the last seven years, Bold Technologies has become the dominant force in central station automation software, with 50 to 80 new customers per year switching to Manitou from existing platforms. Bold has attracted new customers and customers from other automation providers, and as a result, we have had to become very good at data conversion, with three full time employees converting and reviewing data from competitors' systems. Becoming good at something, however, doesn't involve taking code from legacy software or doing anything illegal - that accusation simply displays a lack of knowledge in the actual process of moving customers to a particular platform. In the case of the Dice Corporation, nineteen of their customers have moved or are in the process of moving to Manitou. In an industry such as ours with a small pool of customers this is a significant blow. The foundation of the law suit is baseless and seems solely driven to slow down the migration of customers away from the Dice platform. It's an under-handed tactic with no truth to it, and we will treat it through the legal system as such.
We will continue to defend our reputation and to provide the best possible software and service to the industry. Bold values a marketplace where companies raise their standards to compete and produce better and better solutions. It makes us stronger, and most importantly, brings enhanced alternatives to the customers in the industry. We don't intend to continue a war of public opinion but hope our 30-year reputation will stand for itself as we work hard to produce the highest standards of product, service and competition.
Sincerely,
Rod Coles, President”
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