A Message from Slate-Ed
As the Managing Director of Slate-Ed, the company which owns the Padpilot brand and Propilot Ltd I think I had better chime in on this one.
Firstly thanks to Greg for pointing out that Bristol Groundshool does not emerge from this with a clean bill of health. Far from it.
Furthermore I should point out that the Judge has intimated that the damages likely to be payable to Bristol Groundschool are minimal and that the costs and stress involved in this case are disproportionate to the issues involved.
I couldn't agree more. For our part we have tried to settle this dispute from the outset and throughout with repeated offers of mediation and settlement.
Secondly, much of this case involved a contractual dispute between Bristol Groundschool and IDC Ltd. IDC Ltd used to be a trading partner of Bristol Groundschool but now supplies Slate-Ed Ltd with artwork. Slate-Ed Ltd is not involved in anyway in the dispute relating to IDC Ltd or the costs/damages arising out of it.
Slate-Ed Ltd will have to pay substantial court costs but these are all provisioned for. Similarly Slate-Ed Ltd will have to pay damages for copyright infringement, as will Bristol Groundschool. Again Slate-Ed Ltd is well provisioned to underwrite these. So, as far as we are concerned, it's business as usual.
Most important of all IDC Ltd succeeded in asserting its right to the vast library of 3D models which it created and then sold to us.
Despite taking copies of these models from our computer servers without us knowing, Bristol Groundschool will no longer be able to use them.
By contrast we will continue our programme to refine and enhance the graphics we produce from them and to add animations and videos based on them.
I hope this helps.
Graham Cownie