Essential has been sued for stealing trade secrets about accessory connector

Essential, the company of Android founder Andy Rubin, has been sued by Keyssa for alleged company theft. The Essential Phone is said to have used Keyssa technology for the wireless connector to add modular accessories.

The connector on the Essential Phone works for data transfer with a wireless 60GHz connection; the pins on the magnetic connector on the back are only used for charging. According to Keyssa, Essential has been in talks for ten months to integrate Keyssa’s wireless Kiss Connectivity, a high-speed wireless connectivity technology, into the Essential Phone. Essentially, in November 2016, Essential opted for a competing chip from the company SiBEAM, Reuters reports.

Keyssa states that despite using a different chip, the Essential Phone has incorporated many of Keyssa’s techniques into the connector design, such as the antenna design. During the talks between Keyssa and Essential, Keyssa technicians allegedly shared trade secrets that fell under the regime of a nondisclosure agreement. As a result, Essential would not have been allowed to make commercial use of the shared information.

Rubin’s company started shipping the first Essential Phones at the end of August. The delivery of the devices has already been postponed several times. The Essential Phone has thin bezels, a 5.7″ screen and a Snapdragon 835-soc. A striking feature of the phone is the possibility to attach modular accessories to the back via a magnetic connection. For example, there is a 360- degree camera that can be attached.

Essential is dealing with more legal conflicts. In June, it turned out that the American accessory maker Spigen tried to force Essential via a cease and desist letter to rename the Essential Phone. Spigen owns the rights to the brand name ‘Essential’. There is a chance that this will lead to a lawsuit, as Essential disagrees with Spigen’s statement.