Accenture Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Guidewire.-- Suit also charges misappropriation misappropriation n. the intentional, illegal use of the property or funds of another person for one's own use or other unauthorized purpose, particularly by a public official, a trustee of a trust, an executor or administrator of a dead person's estate, or by any of trade secrets -- NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of -- Accenture (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : ACN ACN Accenture (stock symbol) ACN Accenture ACN Australian Company Number ACN Automatic Collision Notification (US DOT) ACN Acetonitrile ACN Anglican Communion Network ) today filed a lawsuit against Guidewire Software, Inc. (Guidewire) claiming that Guidewire has infringed the U.S. patent protecting Accenture Claim Components Solution, an insurance claims management technology that Accenture developed and licenses to the insurance industry. The suit also alleges that Guidewire misappropriated mis·ap·pro·pri·ate tr.v. mis·ap·pro·pri·at·ed, mis·ap·pro·pri·at·ing, mis·ap·pro·pri·ates 1. a. To appropriate wrongly: misappropriating the theories of social science. Accenture trade secrets relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc the design, coding and implementation of the claims management technology Accenture developed and patented. The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware The United States District Court for the District of Delaware is the Federal district court having jurisdiction over the entire state of Delaware. The Court sits in Wilmington. Currently, three judges and two magistrate judges preside over the court. . Accenture's claims management technology and consulting services enable insurance companies to optimize their handling of claims made under the insurers' policies. This technology is the result of more than a decade of development and tens of millions of dollars of investment by Accenture, and is protected by the patent and copyright laws of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and other countries, as well as the trade secret laws of Delaware and other states and countries. As detailed in the complaint, Accenture believes that Guidewire willfully willfully adv. referring to doing something intentionally, purposefully and stubbornly. Examples: "He drove the car willfully into the crowd on the sidewalk." "She willfully left the dangerous substances on the property." (See: willful) and deliberately developed, manufactured, used and sold, or offered for sale, computer software and services used for insurance claims management that are covered by Accenture U.S. Patent 7,013,284 (the '284 patent). The suit also claims that Guidewire willfully and maliciously obtained and used or intends to use Accenture trade secrets without authorization in designing, developing, manufacturing and selling claims management software and services to assist it in its ongoing efforts to unfairly compete against Accenture in the claims management market. Pierre Nanterme, Group Chief Executive - Financial Services The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. , said, "Accenture has a long history of designing and developing innovative, technology-based solutions that help our clients transform their businesses and achieve high performance. As part of our ongoing efforts to defend vigorously our intellectual property rights around the world, we intend to take actions like this lawsuit to be sure that our intellectual property is not unfairly exploited." Accenture is seeking unspecified monetary damages Monetary damages, in civil law, refers to compensation given to an injured party by a liable party. Monetary damages may be restitution, a penalty, or both. and an injunction to stop Guidewire from engaging in acts of infringement or use of trade secrets associated with these products and services. About Accenture Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With approximately 170,000 people in 49 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$19.70 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2007. Its home page is www.accenture.com. Forward Looking Statements Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: our business could be negatively affected if we cannot expand and develop our services and solutions in response to changes in technology and client demand; the management consulting, systems integration and technology and outsourcing markets are highly competitive and we might not be able to compete effectively; our business could be negatively affected by economic and political conditions and the effects of these conditions on our clients' business and levels of business activity; our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights, including through the lawsuit described in this news release, may not be successful, and there is no assurance that the outcome of this or other intellectual property litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. would be favorable to us; clients may not be satisfied with our services; our business could be negatively affected by legal liability that results from our providing solutions or services; our results could be adversely affected if our clients terminate their contracts with us on short notice; our results of operations may be adversely affected by the type and level of technology spending by our clients; our global operations are subject to complex risks, some of which might be beyond our control; our growth and our ability to compete may be adversely affected if we cannot attract, retain and motivate our employees or efficiently utilize their skills; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the "Risk Factors" heading in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture's expectations |
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