The bitter four-year copyright wrangle between ALN Associates Inc and qad inc, from Carpinteria, California, over qad’s MFG/PRO manufacturing software is limping to its convoluted conclusion. The Chicago Federal Court has ordered the companies to reach an out of court settlement. Sally Allan, president of South Bend, Indiana-based ALN, is hoping for a $10m payment by the end of 1993 for business lost because of qad’s claims. The sordid saga began in 1988 when qad claimed ALN, a former qad reseller, had based its MS+ manufacturing software on qad’s MFG/PRO product. Ms Allan says qad’s claims were totally bogus. MS+ differs from MFG/PRO in that it can be used for multiple companies. MFG/PRO relies on multiple databases to achieve this. Clawing back further, ALN claims MFG/PRO is a copy of MFG 250, a prototype manufacturing application developed by Hewlett-Packard Co. Qad, a former Hewlett-Packard MFG 250 reseller, says its product is based on MRPII technology where Hewlett-Packard’s is not. Hewlett-Packard now markets an OEM version of MFG/PRO as Open MFG because, according to qad, Hewlett-Packard’s product was nothing compared to ours. Hewlett-Packard’s lawyers state: qad inc is authorised to use the 250 software in any manner it wishes. In a bizarre twist, ALN bought the MFG 250 copyright to prove MFG/PRO is really MFG 250. It is now filing against qad, and potentially Hewlett-Packard, for breach of this copyright. Although ALN says qad is trying to ruin us financially it is hoping business will get back to normal: We’ve done our part. It’s up to the lawyers now, says Ms Allan. With the European version of MS+ shipping in two weeks, the company is looking for European distributors to add to UK-based Ciscom Ltd. Qad’s last word from president Pamela Lopker is ALN doesn’t have a prayer in the world as far as the money is concerned. Even if we had to pay, it would not damage us financially.
