TRA Counters Kantar RapidView Claim

In the US, media measurement and analytics firm TRA has filed a counterclaim to WPP's recent lawsuit, started over claims that Kantar Media Audiences' RapidView product 'rips off' TRA's Media TRAnalytics solution.

WPP is a long-time TRA strategic partner and investor, data provider, and licensee of the Media TRAnalytics software.

The marcoms giant filed the suit in response to correspondence TRA had sent, which claimed that the RapidView product was a copy of its own solution.

In the counterclaim, TRA asserts that WPP breached its fiduciary duty to TRA, stole trade secrets, breached several agreements and is infringing TRA's patent 'Analyzing Return on Investment of Advertising Campaigns by Matching Multiple Data Sources', which was issued a year ago and covers TRA's TV ad measurement solution for advertised goods and services.

TRA has requested that the Federal Court in Manhattan issues a preliminary injunction preventing WPP from selling the RapidView product.

TRA's solution uses a patented process to match second-by-second advertising audience data - gathered from more than two million set-top box households - with actual household purchasing data for the CPG, pharma and auto industries.

In March - after what TRA describes as 'more than three years of confidential access' to its technology and processes - Kantar launched RapidView, a solution which TRA says has been positioned to directly compete with Media TRAnalytics.

'WPP has been a trusted partner, investor, board member, licensee and vendor for over three years so we were shocked that they would launch a directly competing product and resort to the courts for resolution,' states Mark Lieberman, Chairman and CEO of TRA. 'While copying is the sincerest form of flattery, we will always protect our shareholders' investment in our proprietary technology and patents even when the wrongdoing is at the hands of a supposed friend.'

TRA noted in its papers that WPP/Kantar has not alleged invalidity of the patent. TRA also does not anticipate that any of its clients, partners, or suppliers will be involved in this litigation and the company says it is 'hopeful for a fair and expeditious resolution'.

Web sites: www.traglobal.com , www.wpp.com and www.kantarmedia-audiences.com .