Comshare Inc has issued a counterclaim against on-line analytical processing pioneer Arbor Software Corp, Sunnyvale, California, claiming defamation, unfair competition, interference with economic relationships and breach of contract. The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company filed against Comshare – its largest reseller – a couple of week ago (CI No 3,012), claiming it systematically underpaid or failed to report royalties due under their two-year old agreement. and would look to scrap the pairs’ existing two-year old distribution agreement. Arbor specifically doesn’t want Comshare to distribute its Essbase multi-dimensional database server anymore. Comshare calls the Arbor writ scare tactics and has also asked the court to dismiss Arbor’s fraud claim and to issue a preliminary injunction prohibiting Arbor from disseminating information that suggests Arbor has any basis for its claim. Arbor’s suggestion that Comshare’s may to lose its business is obviously hurting Comshare’s prospects, and Comshare, which recently reported fourth quarter and year-end losses after charges on revenues that fell 8% in the quarter (CI No 3,002), can do without it. Comshare points out that on September 18, just 11 days before Arbor filed its suit , the OLAPer had described their relationship as wildly successful.
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