Pet ID tag company PetHub and tracking technology startup Pebblebee have settled a contract dispute over a deal to develop pet tracking tags and a companion smartphone app, according to court records.
A Jan. 13 court filing in King County Superior Court, signed by lawyers for both companies, says that “all claims against all parties in this action have been resolved,” and all hearings in the case have been cancelled.
Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed in the court record. Both companies are based in Bellevue, Wash.
“It’s a relief to have the case behind us so that we can focus on the year ahead,” said PetHub CEO Tom Arnold in response to GeekWire’s inquiry. “I wish Pebblebee only the best.”
Pebblebee CEO Daniel Daoura declined to comment.
According to PetHub’s complaint, the dispute dated back to July 2014, when PetHub announced the PetHub Signal electronic ID tag after signing a deal with Pebblebee to develop the tags. PetHub alleged that Pebblebee didn’t live up to the terms of their agreement, and marketed a competing product in violation of their deal.
In previous court filings, Pebblebee denied the allegations and filed its own breach of contract claim against PetHub.
PetHub alleged that the tracking tag’s battery drained after two weeks, rather than the promised one year. The suit also claimed that the software on the tag didn’t work properly, and the promised smartphone application wasn’t developed according to the requirements of the contract.
In a court filing, Pebblebee acknowledged that “it advised PetHub that the batteries for the first order of pilot tracking tags depleted too quickly,” but said that Pebblebee “promptly corrected this issue within two months and before PetHub ordered any more tags.”
In addition, Pebblebee denied in court filings that its own “Honey” device competed with the product that was jointly developed by the two companies.
