Mobile software developer UIQ Technology AB, jointly owned by Sony Ericsson and Motorola via Dutch holding company, announced it filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 30 after the handset giants decided to pull the plug on the unit. The UIQ platform is presently in the process of integrating with the Symbian OS, S60 and MOAP technologies to create a single open mobile software platform under the Symbian aegis--in late October, Motorola announced plans to abandon work on UIQ-based devices, essentially heralding the platform's final death knell.
In an interview with ZDNet UK, UIQ CEO Johan Sandberg said the bankruptcy filing took place in a Swedish regional court one day after a Dec. 29 board meeting where Motorola and Sony Ericsson agreed to shutter the firm. "There is not likely to be a buyer, although that's up to the bankruptcy receiver, who has now taken over management of the company," Sandberg said. "As the IP became free of charge, Sony Ericsson and Motorola decided to work with the Symbian Foundation, not UIQ. There was no business for us anymore." According to Sandberg, 230 UIQ employees will lose their jobs.
For more on the UIQ bankruptcy:
- read this Silicon.com article