‘Please Call Me’ negotiations stall
Negotiations between the inventor of 'Please Call Me', Kenneth Makate, and Vodacom have stalled and the matter will return to court. Makate has applied for an order at the Constitutional Court, seeking clarification on the import and meaning of a judgment handed down earlier this year. The court ruled in April this year that Johannesburg-based Vodacom must compensate Makate for the Please Call Me idea.
In a statement to Fin24 on Friday, Vodacom said it had been committed to engaging in good faith negotiations to determine reasonable compensation for Makate in light of the judgment but the talks have stalled. ‘Despite our best efforts and endeavours in good faith, we are extremely disappointed that the negotiations have been put on hold,’ Vodacom noted.
Makate, a former employee of the company, is credited with coining the concept in 2001, which allows customers with no balance on their mobile phones to alert someone with a free text message.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
