Thursday, March 30, 2006

StreamCast Sues Skype Under RICO

Woodland Hills-based StreamCast Networks has sued Skype for violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). StreamCast, makers of the Morpheus peer-to-peer file swapping software, reportedly filed a docket the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in January. The story was first reported by blogger Andy Abramson Sunday, who said he obtained what was likely the 30+ page complaint against Skype last week. The complaint reportedly claims that the technology used in Skype is the same as the FastTrack technology used in Morpheus and Kazaa, and that it had the right of first refusal to purchase the technology, and is seeking $4.1B in damages.