IIT fights contract breach case in US

A US firm has accused the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, of breach of contract and misappropriation of technology in what has become one of America’s longest-running legal disputes.

According to the California-headquartered MA Mobile, the Indian tech school breached a non-disclosure agreement signed in 2003 for a joint venture and commercialisation of the technology. The plan was to refine and market MA Mobile’s new technology platform for mobile computing.

One of the technology’s potential applications was a handheld device that would help Indian train ticket examiners access the passenger reservation system and find berths for wait-listed passengers, issue tickets and locate doctors on board during medical emergencies.