Social Media Apps Company Sambreel Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Facebook

CARLSBAD, Calif., March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kotchen & Low LLP announced today that it has filed a lawsuit on behalf of its client Sambreel Holdings LLC, a developer and publisher of social media and other online applications, against Facebook, Inc. for alleged violations of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and California state laws prohibiting unfair competition and interference with contract.  The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California (Case 3:12-cv-00668-W-KSC.)

In addition, the firm also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent Facebook from requiring Sambreel's advertising partners to boycott Sambreel and to prevent Facebook from "gating" – i.e., scanning its own users computers without their consent to learn who downloaded a Sambreel application and then forcing those individuals to uninstall Sambreel's applications before they are allowed access to their Facebook accounts.

Arie Trouw, CEO and President of Sambreel, released the following statement about the lawsuit: "We believe that Facebook engaged in a pattern of anticompetitive behavior in order to drive a competitor out of the market.  Although we attempted to work with Facebook to address each other's concerns, those discussions did not progress, so we are moving forward with litigation.  In addition to violating the law, we think Facebook's actions – particularly its gating – violate its own first guiding principle:  'People should have the freedom to share whatever information they want, in any medium and any format, and have the right to connect online with anyone – any person, organization or service – as long as they both consent to the connection (http://www.facebook.com/principles.php).'"

A copy of the lawsuit is available at http://www.kotchen.com/Sambreel-v-Facebook.

About Sambreel Holdings LLC

Based in Carlsbad, Calif., Sambreel Holdings LLC is a leading developer and publisher of social media and web applications used by tens of millions of people around the world.  Sambreel's most popular application is a browser add-on called PageRage, which allows users to create customized layouts that appear on the browser when the user accesses the Facebook website. 

For more information about Sambreel, visit www.sambreel.com/press, email [email protected], or call (760) 600-5570.

About Kotchen & Low LLP

Kotchen & Low LLP is a law firm based in Washington, D.C. that specializes in complex commercial litigation in federal and state court.  Kotchen & Low LLP has a particular expertise in matters arising under the federal antitrust laws, and it is currently representing a number of clients in antitrust matters.

For more information, visit www.kotchen.com or email [email protected].

Contact:
Kotchen & Low LLP
Robert Klinck
760-600-5570
[email protected]

SOURCE Kotchen & Low LLP