Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Mobile
    • Storage

    PayPal Sues Google Wallet Executives over Trade Secrets

    Written by

    Clint Boulton
    Published May 27, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      eBay’s (NASDAQ:EBAY) PayPal payment service has sued Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), accusing the search engine of poaching trade secrets it then used to hone its mobile payment service.

      The suit, filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court just hours after Google unveiled its Google Wallet service, alleges that two key executives who created the Wallet service used company secrets about mobile payments to fashion Google’s own service.

      Unveiled at a press event in New York, Google Wallet lets consumers pay for products by tapping their Android-based smartphones against a special sale terminal.

      Named in the suit are Osama Bedier, vice president of payments, and Stephanie Tilenius, vice president of commerce for the company. Both held similar positions at PayPal before joining Google.

      Google hired Tilenius in February 2010. Tilenius is named in the suit because she broke a non-compete agreement with PayPal by persuading Bedier to join Google in January of this year, after which the search engine accelerated its mobile payment plans.

      However, it is Bedier who faces the more unsavory charges.

      PayPal alleges that Google in 2010 had been working on brokering a deal to have the payment provider enable payments on Android phones. Instead, it turned around and hired Bedier, who had been negotiating the deal for PayPal.

      The payment provider further alleges Bedier kept records of all of PayPal’s future plans for mobile payments on a non-PayPal computer, and used that info to build Google Wallet after joining the company.

      Bedier used the PayPal’s trade secrets for mobile payments to pitch many of the same major retailers with whom PayPal was seeking to partner for its own mobile payment service. Google Wallet partners include Macy’s, American Eagle, RadioShack and a dozen other major companies.

      “Bedier’s comparisons incorporate PayPal trade secrets, including PayPal’s schedule for deployment, anticipated features, and back-end approach to mobile payment, point of sale, and the benefits of a wallet in the cloud,” according to the lawsuit.

      The suit also alleges that Bedier recruited some of his former colleagues from PayPal to join Google.

      “We spend a lot of time and energy creating the things that make PayPal unique and a preferred way to pay for almost 100 million people around the world,” said Amanda Pires, senior director for PayPal global communications, in a brief note about the suit. “We treat PayPal’s ‘secrets’ seriously, and take it personally when someone else doesn’t.”

      Google, meanwhile, said the company had not yet received a copy of the complaint and would not be able to comment until it has had a chance to review it.

      PayPal makes a compelling argument in its lawsuit. Google may find itself paying the company a healthy settlement fee to extricate itself from the legal matter.

      Clint Boulton
      Clint Boulton

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.