Dialog seeks Rs.7.8bn in damages from SLT for industrial espionage

By Chandeepa Wettasinghe

Dialog Broadband Networks (Pvt.) Ltd (DBN), a subsidiary of Dialog Axiata PLC, is seeking Rs.7.8 billion in damages from the state-owned Sri Lanka Telecom PLC (SLT), on the industrial espionage case being heard at the Commercial High Court.

“Further permanent injunction and a claim of damages of Rs.7.8 billion was made under the petition by DBN,” the SLT annual report, which was released to the Colombo Stock Exchange this week, said.

In July 2017, DBN initiated legal action against SLT alleging violation of intellectual property rights, on the basis that SLT has obtained confidential information related to DBN’s designs for the implementation of GPON technology from a request for proposal (RFP) floated by DBN under strict non-disclosure agreements with selected technology partners.

DBN had obtained an ex-parte interim injunction in July requiring SLT to disclose the source/party who revealed the RFP and to furnish the original under the provisions of Intellectual Property Act.

The case is fixed for inquiry into interim measure on May 16, 2018.

GPON is a point-to-multipoint technology, which allows a single optic fibre to serve multiple customers.

SLT in the past has expressed displeasure over Dialog installing its own fibre optic network.