The dispute over the rights to the Nginx web server, developed by former Rambler employees, is gaining new momentum. Lynwood Investments CY Limited sued the current owner of Nginx, the American company F5 Networks Inc., several former employees of Rambler Internet Holding, their partners and two large enterprises. Lynwood considers itself the full owner of Nginx and expects to receive at least $750 million in compensation as part of the lawsuit.
Thus, Lynwood claims the rights to Nginx, based on the technology of which approximately 450 million websites operate worldwide. In May last year, the American F5 Networks became the owner of Nginx, paying $670 million to Nginx Inc., founded in 2011 by former Rambler employees and Nginx authors Igor Sysoev and Maxim Konovalov. The lawsuit alleges that Lynwood, and not Nginx Inc., F5 Networks or anyone else, is the rightful owner of the rights to the web server and related software products, including the commercial Nginx Plus software.
Recall that the development of Nginx was mainly carried out by Igor Sysoev and several other Rambler employees from 2001 to 2011. Lynwood's complaint states that the basis for the claim is information obtained from a whistleblower that revealed misconduct. Lynwood conducted its own investigation, during which it was possible to obtain evidence that former Rambler employees concealed their plans to monetize and use Nginx for their own benefit without the knowledge and consent of the company.
As for Lynwood itself, the company is an international holding investing in various industries throughout Europe. Lynwood and its subsidiaries owned significant stakes in Rambler, which transferred ownership of the Nginx software along with the lawsuit's claims. The lawsuit has been filed with the US District Court for North Carolina in San Francisco, where it will be heard.
Source: 3dnews.ru