TechCrunch Says CrunchPad Tablet PC Hits Dead End

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 30, 2009 - 1:09pm.

Palo Alto, Calif. - Ten days after the scheduled debut of its tablet PC, technology blog TechCrunch said on Monday that its CrunchPad device, co-developed with Singapore-based Fusion Garage, has hit a legal dead end. "The entire project self destructed over nothing more than greed, jealousy and miscommunication," TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington wrote in a blog post.

The project, nearly a year and a half in development, was expected to feature a 12-inch touchscreen and proprietary operating system, allowing users with Web access to browse the Internet, watch videos and edit documents at a relatively low cost.

Arrington wrote that the project imploded when Fusion Garage's shareholders decided to sever ties with TechCrunch, moving forward on its own.

"We jointly own the CrunchPad product intellectual property, and we solely own the CrunchPad trademark," wrote Arrington.

"So it's legally impossible for them to simply build and sell the device without our agreement."

He added that multiple lawsuits are expected to follow.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/thr01 (TechCrunch)

http://snipurl.com/threl (DMW previous coverage)

Published in DMW Daily, November 30, 2009

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Comments

I don't see how they could

Submitted by t749 (not verified) on November 30, 2009 - 10:36pm.

I don't see how they could get away with stealing the project out from under him without some sort of IP litigation. I would hope lawyers are getting involved if it truly played out as stated.