Telecel sued for US$340 000

Zimbabwe is listed as the defendant.
Telecel was given 10 days to enter an appearance to defend if it wishes to oppose the claim.
Trumbelt, which trades as Mobile Connexion, specialises in the provision of value-added telecommunication services and claims the botched deal would have raked in more than US$2 million in revenue.
The company submitted that in January this year,  they engaged Telecel in negotiations for consultancy services with a view to introduce marketing concepts for the telecoms company.
Trumbelt Computers claims that after initial discussions it then submitted literary work in the form of a report outlining the marketing strategy called Mega Promo. The company alleged that the marketing strategy was such that the parties would partner in a mobile quiz programme and the details and operations were contained in the report.
“Defendant, without plaintiffs’ knowledge, assignment or permission, proceeded to copy and implement the report and its contents, thus infringing the plaintiffs’ copyright,” said Trumbelt.
“Defendant has been unjustly enriched at the expense of the plaintiffs and as a result of the defendant’s infringement, plaintiffs have suffered damages in the sum of US$340 000, being the reasonable estimate of plaintiffs projected profit,” said Trumbelt.
The firm alleged that despite its demands for compensation from Telecel, the defendant has allegedly refused, neglected or declined to rectify the infringement or pay the damages due to it.
Apart from the claim for financial compensation, Trumbelt wants Telecel stopped from continuing to run the Mega Promo initiative.
It also wants the company to pay “interest a tempore morae” and also that it be directed to meet the costs of the lawsuit.
Earlier in response to inquiries from Herald Business, Telecel dismissed the claims made by Trumbelt, saying agreement was never reached for a partnership, adding that discussions were only exploratory.
The firm also said Trumbelt had no valid legal claim or right on the Mega Promo initiative because it was a generic concept used by telecommunication companies across the world. It also claimed that it had advised Trumbelt it had already been working on a similar initiative with another company recommended by its partner, but would consider a partnership if Trumbelt’s proposal was better than what it was working on.
With a subscriber base estimated at just over two million, Telecel Zimbabwe is the country’s second biggest telecommunications firm after Econet Wireless Zimbabwe.