Trusteer Dismisses Code-Theft Accusations as Baseless

Trusteer, a provider of online banking security solutions, claims that accusations of copyright infringement coming from a rival developer are without base.

BlueGem Security, a developer of anti-keylogger solutions, filed a lawsuit in California last month, alleging that Trusteer stole code from its Total Privacy software and included it into its Rapport application.

Trusteer Rapport is a program designed to protect online banking sessions from tampering by banking trojans like ZeuS and SpyEye or keyloggers.

The company has signed agreements with many banks and financial services providers around the world to distribute Rapport for free to their customers.

In 2007, BlueGem developed a special patch designed to make its programs compatible with newer Intel chipsets like P35, P45 or P55.

The company claims that Rapport includes an almost identical copy of this code, which was reverse-engineered from its Total Privacy software.

"In late 2010, BlueGem discovered that Rapport includes a nearly line-for-line copy of the Intel Compatibility Code. Without the Intel Compatibility Code, Rapport would be ineffective against keyloggers on any computer with one of the Intel Chipsets installed," Blue Gem writes in the complaint. [pdf]

A list of companies which BlueGem tried to secure as customers, but which eventually chose Trusteer include Bank of Montreal, CIBC, eBay, HSBC, ING Direct USA, ING Direct Canada, PayPal, RBS and Santander.

BlueGem seeks compensatory damages for loss of profits and unpaid royalties and a permanent injunction that would ban Trusteer from distributing the Intel compatibility code without a license.

Trusteer dismisses the accusations laid out in the complaint. "These are false, baseless accusations which Trusteer will defend vigorously in court," Trusteer's CEO, Mickey Boodaei, told The Register.

Trusteer is a Delaware company headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, and New York, while BlueGem Security is based in Santa Clara County, California.