Zango vs. PC Tools

Zango is suing the makers of a spyware blocking app for a minimum of $35 million, and it looks as though Google might have something to do with the decision to file the suit.

Zango claims that its "consensually installed" software "has come under surreptitious attack" by a Spyware Doctor Starter Edition from PC Tools, so Zango's suing PC Tools. According to the claim, "Spyware Doctor provides the computer user with no specific warning that Zango's software application will be deleted; instead, Zango's software simply vanishes from the user's computer, leaving Zango with no means of contacting or communicating with its customers."

Evidently, because Spyware Doctor comes with the "Google Pack" of software, a whole lotta people have downloaded it, meaning, according to the suit, "Zango has suffered irreparable harm to its business model and reputation that continues day by day."

And this is interesting, too: "Zango has also learned that consumers downloading the Google Pack after March 29 who did not already have Zango's software installed are now wholly unable to install Zango software, thereby eliminating Google Pack users as potential Zango customers." The complaint says G Pack labels Zango software as an "Infection" engaged in a "Malicious Action." Zango wants no less than $35 million in damages.

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In a related story the company has run afoul of Wikipedia for trying to purge negative information from its entry in the collaborative encyclopedia. While anyone can edit Wikipedia articles, the site's guidelines caution companies and others against editing their own entries because of the conflict of interest.

Zango isn't the first company to resort to self-help at Wikipedia. Microsoft ran into trouble earlier this year after offering to pay a blogger to correct what the company said were inaccuracies in Wikipedia articles on an open- source document standard and a competing format developed by Microsoft. Wikipedia has also stopped PR firms and political campaigns from posting promotional or slanderous material.