Virus protection firm halts appointment of liquidator to key supplier

A company that says it provides virus protection for 850m mobile phones yesterday obtained a temporary High Court injunction preventing the appointment of a liquidator to one of its key software suppliers.

Adaptive Mobile Security Ltd, an Irish registered company with its headquarters in Dublin, says Anam Mobile Ltd, of South Cumberland Street, Dublin, should not be allowed to appoint a liquidator until an Anam source code for crucial software is released to Adaptive enabling it to continue to providing anti-virus products to most of the large mobile phone operators.

A source code is a piece of software used by programmers to understand or modify a particular program or piece of software.

Adaptive says the Anam source code is used in the products it provides to ensure mobile phone networks are protected from all forms of malware including viruses, spam, and rogue applications. Around one in six phones, or 850m users, have its product, it says.

Adaptive says the viability of its business, which saw revenue grow from €6m to €18.5m in the last two years, is at risk from Anam’s failure to comply with an agreement the two companies made about the source code in the event of a winding up of Anam.

Yesterday, Ms Justice Mary Laffoy granted Adaptive an injunction until Friday restraining Anam, members of its board, and its creditors from passing a resolution to wind-up the company and appointing a provisional liquidator.

She also directed Anam, pending further order, to immediately transfer the latest version of the source code to an escrow firm, an agent who holds the code as a third party on behalf of both companies.