Nigerian company LANCOR is suing the OLPC project for infringing on their Nigerian keyboard design, causing us to wonder if some sort of 419 spamming virus hasn’t infiltrated the Nigerian judicial system, rendering completely useless. The suit holds that the OLPC uses extra keys to allow users to type using the Nigerian alphabet. While this is clearly a case of insane people suing a charity, it could put a damper on OLPC’s plans in Nigeria.
It seems LANCOR has a “registered design” and not a patent for a similar keyboard and is requesting $20 million in damages from the OLPC project in order to recoup the “damage” caused by their infringement. There is some talk that this is backed by Intel, makers of the OLPC-alike Classmate. I just think it’s junk litigation.
News about LANCOR v. OLPC [Groklaw]