Lawsuit Filed Against The Reverse Logistics Association And Fortune 500 Members

A lawsuit was filed against the Reverse Logistics Association and its members. The lawsuit alleges that RLA and its members committed a host of business misdeeds, including copyright infringement, misappropriating trade secrets, and contract breech. RLA has over 140 members including HP, Microsoft, UPS, eBay, Cisco, Palm, Philips, 3M, Canon, Lexmark, Sprint and Walmart. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) November 16, 2006 - Huntsville, Alabama – A lawsuit was filed against the Reverse Logistics Association (www.rltinc.com) and its members. The lawsuit alleges that RLA and its members committed a host of business misdeeds, including copyright infringement, misappropriating trade secrets, and contract breech. The Reverse Logistics Association (RLA) has over 140 members including HP, Microsoft, UPS, eBay, Cisco, Palm, Philips, 3M, Canon, Lexmark, Sprint and Walmart.

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court of Northern Alabama, on November 7, 2006 by Melvin Simpson, a former associate of RLA. The lawsuit claims that Simpson is the creator of a program called RL Quote, which includes the artwork, contracts and marketing materials. RL Quote connects manufacturers and retailers to companies who specialize in support services for product returns. The complaint alleges Simpson developed this program in August of 2004 and partnered with RLA to bring it to big name manufacturers and retailers. In May of 2005 Simpson and RLA relationship ended with a dispute over royalties and RLA has continued to use the program without Simpson’s consent.

The complaint seeks damages and an injunction to halt further infringements.

If the lawsuit does not settle, a judgment in favor of Simpson will affect more than $68 million dollars in contracts for RLA members, and possibly bring more lawsuits for copyright infringement for members who continue to participate in the RL Quote program.

Reverse Logistics Association is a trade association focused on third party service providers (3PSPs) to whom manufacturers and retail companies outsource. The Reverse Logistics Association (RLA) monitors thousands of 3PSPs worldwide who are providing “product returns” services, while supporting the outsourcing needs of Manufacturing and Retail companies. RLA supports the following industries: WiFi, IT, Retail, Telecom, Medical, Computer, Consumer, Automotive & Pharmaceutical.

Melvin Simpson is the inventor and developer of the RL quote program; Copyright registration number TX-6-309-142 (www.copyright.gov). Simpson has also published other works, which include a game “Movies N Stars”, and a book “Win-Win Leadership”

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