Cincom Systems, Inc. v. Novelis Corp.
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
581 F.3d 431 (2009)

- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Cincom Systems, Inc. (Cincom) (plaintiff) owned all rights to certain computer software. Cincom licensed the software to Alcan Rolled Products Division (Alcan). The license agreement prohibited Alcan from transferring the license without Cincom’s approval. After a series of internal reorganizations, Alcan became Novelis Corporation (defendant), with different ownership. Alcan and Novelis did not obtain Cincom’s approval before Novelis took control of the license. Cincom sued Novelis, alleging a breach of the license agreement. The district court granted Cincom summary judgment. Novelis appealed, arguing, among other things, that it was not a competitor of Cincom and thus any breach of the agreement did not cause any harm.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Gibbons, J.)
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