Failed Australian adtech and mobile rewards startup Unlockd has finally given up its legal fight with Google after eight years.
The company went into administration in 2018 when Unlockd apps were removed from the Google Play Store and access to the Google AdMob network cut off.
Unlockd turned a mobile phone's lock screen into an ad platform in exchange for rewards such as mobile data or loyalty points.
Founder Matt Berriman said the latest action against Google, in the US Ninth Circuit Federal Appeals Court, had failed, marking the end of a “painful” fight.
“The immense challenges that we faced legally were equally matched by the ones that I personally endured to do so, where I continued to feel the weight of those that had and continued to back me,” Berriman said in a statement.
“I was never going to shy away from this fight, right to the very end. As many founders know, the responsibility of taking other people's money, means you do everything in your power to ensure there is a return for their trust, capital and commitment to you. This was never lost on me.”
He thanked family and friends for their unconditional love and support, his staff and shareholders.
“Despite the immense pride I still have in the company I built and those who joined me on that journey, it doesn't give solace to the ending we were forced to bear, nor the financial result we have been left with,” he said.
In 2017, Unlockd picked up $US23 million in series B round funding, partnering with Malaysian-based telco Axiata Digital. The company has raised more than $AU60 million in total.
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