

Dodgeball Shuttered By Google, Its Co-Creator Promises To Clone It  - bdotdub
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2009/1/shuttered-google-service-dodgeballs-co-creator-promises-to-make-a-new-one-before-sxsw-goog

======
mdasen
Dodgeball looked really cool and it's a pity that Google just let it languish
- especially since social networking seems to be gravitating toward real-time,
location based services.

------
asnyder
Though it's a real shame to lose the dodgeball name. I've found that software
projects take on a life of their own, and even if you fork or recreate it at
some point with a different name you risk losing that original feel, though
you also have the opportunity to create a new and unique feel for that
software project too.

------
pistoriusp
Does anyone else feel that even if this is not a contractual breach that it's
an ethical one?

If he wanted to keep his company then he shouldn't have sold it.

~~~
SingAlong
They (referring to both the founders) must have sold it thinking they might
get access to the good tech infrastructure that other Google products and
services get.

That's another important thing that would have been on their mind apart from
the money (guessing they sold it for a low price).

------
flashgordon
An old question but has Google manage to do well with any of its acquisitions?
Youtube and Blogger are still running on their old momentum...

~~~
ahoyhere
They totally gutted my beloved MeasureMap, GRR!

And the Jaiku people are very angry.

------
bprater
I'm a bit surprised that Google doesn't have an employee agreement in place
preventing this. Many can extend well past your employment.

~~~
ojbyrne
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-
compete_clause#Enforceabili...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-
compete_clause#Enforceability_in_the_State_of_California)

~~~
callmeed
FTA: _"...except for a small number of limited circumstances"_

If I'm not mistaken, one of those circumstances is the sale of a business. I
wouldn't be surprised if G does have an enforceable agreement in place.

~~~
ojbyrne
I realized that afterwards:

"If an owner is selling the goodwill in their business."

Though it still has to be "reasonable." And that probably means its expired.

------
sown
This just represents bad acquisitions on G's part. They should examine how
cisco, for example, does acquisitions.

