South African telecommunications giant Vodacom is set to appeal against a court decision requiring it to significantly increase its compensation offer to the inventor of the Please Call Me texting service.
After inventor Nkosana Makate rejected Vodacom’s initial payout offer, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in his favor, deeming Vodacom’s offer as “inequitable.” The court mandated Vodacom to provide Makate with a share between 5% and 7.5% of the total revenue generated by the service over 18 years, along with interest.
Reports suggest that based on models presented by Makate’s legal team, he could be entitled to around 20 billion rand.
Expressing surprise and disappointment, Vodacom stated its intention to challenge the ruling in the Constitutional Court, the country’s highest court of appeal.
The dispute dates back two decades when Makate, a former Vodacom financial manager, conceptualized the Please Call Me service. Despite an alleged verbal agreement promising him a share of the product’s revenue, the matter remains unresolved, leading to the protracted legal battle.