Richard Davies wrote: The UK has a good crop of technology pioneers in cloud computing - for example ElasticHosts, FlexiScale, Flexiant, OnApp - and also some strong government initiatives such as G-Cloud.
We will have to see whether this kind of technical leadership converts into swift mass-market adoption or not.
In a case brought by FICO (NYSE: FICO) claiming trademark infringement,
unfair competition and passing off by Experian, TransUnion and
VantageScore Solutions, a jury in the United States District Court in
Minneapolis today decided for the defendants. FICO will file post-trial
motions to address certain issues in the case, but should the jury
verdict stand, FICO said it plans to appeal.
“This case is about two things: fairness and consumer protection,” said
Mark Greene, chief executive officer at FICO. “While we’re disappointed
by this jury’s verdict, we remain confident in the validity of our
claims. At a time when consumers most need clarity regarding their
creditworthiness, it’s imperative that they understand whether the
credit scores they purchase are FICO® scores, which are used
by most lenders to make decisions, or merely lookalike scores not
actually used by lenders to make lending decisions.”
FICO is the developer of the industry-standard FICO® score,
which is used by the vast majority of lenders to make credit decisions.
Consumers have several ways of viewing their own FICO score, including
through the myFICO.com website, which also contains free information
about how to manage one’s credit health.
FICO has long maintained that advertising and other tactics used by
Experian, TransUnion and VantageScore Solutions deliberately confuse
consumers into purchasing their credit scores under the false belief
that they are FICO® scores, or that the scores they buy from
these companies are used by their lenders to make credit decisions –
neither of which is the case.
These other companies’ scores generally differ significantly from a
consumer’s actual FICO® score, misleading consumers into
believing they have higher or lower FICO scores than actually is the
case. At a time when many consumers are struggling to understand their
creditworthiness and obtain credit, such deception can be extremely
harmful to individual consumers and to the financial system as a whole.
FICO previously announced that it will appeal a July decision by the
same federal court to dismiss additional antitrust, contract, and
certain false advertising claims which FICO originally brought in
October 2006 against the same defendants. FICO believes strongly in the
merits of each of its claims, including that VantageScore remains an
illegal presence in the market.
About FICO FICO (NYSE:FICO) transforms business by making
every decision count. FICO’s Decision Management solutions combine
trusted advice, world-class analytics and innovative applications to
give organizations the power to automate, improve and connect decisions
across their business. Clients in 80 countries work with FICO to
increase customer loyalty and profitability, cut fraud losses, manage
credit risk, meet regulatory and competitive demands, and rapidly build
market share. FICO also helps millions of individuals manage their
credit health through the award-winning www.myFICO.com
website. Learn more about FICO at www.FICO.com.
FICO Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Information Except
for historical information contained herein, the statements contained in
this news release that relate to FICO or its business are
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor”
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties
that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the
success of the Company’s Decision Management strategy and reengineering
initiative, the maintenance of its existing relationships and ability to
create new relationships with customers and key alliance partners, its
ability to continue to develop new and enhanced products and services,
its ability to recruit and retain key technical and managerial
personnel, competition, regulatory changes applicable to the use of
consumer credit and other data, the failure to realize the anticipated
benefits of any acquisitions, continuing material adverse developments
in global economic conditions, and other risks described from time to
time in FICO’s SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended September 30, 2008, and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q
for the period ended June 30, 2009. If any of these risks or
uncertainties materializes, FICO’s results could differ materially from
its expectations. FICO disclaims any intent or obligation to update
these forward-looking statements.
FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation.