Cuireann cath dlíthiúil síos teachtaire #YzerChat in UAE

Etisalat, one of two UAE national telecoms, says it is shutting down a popular local online call and messaging app YzerChat, scríobhann Martin Banks.

Amanna Khaleej, a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, reported, with reference to the official Etisalat announcement, that all functions of YzerChat were blocked on February 29, and the national operator advised to switch to other local messengers (Whatsap, Skype and others are banned in UAE).

YzerChat, which is a multi-language cloud-based voice, video, and data messaging app, was launched in the UAE in August 2019. Its engines provide instant translations for 17 languages, the app stands to break down many communication barriers that would otherwise prevent, for example, Emirati businessmen in Dubai and Chinese investors in Shanghai from having uninterrupted multi-lingual discussions about their next transaction.

However, soon after its launch YzerChat was caught in the middle of an emerging international row. According to Russian media outlet Gazeta.ru, a company called Adventor Management Ltd., owned by  Russian businessmen, launched legal action against its former Dubai-based partner, the owner of Yzer Group, Alibek Isaev for at least $200 million over an alleged fraud and intellectual property theft related to the YzerChat app.

According to Gazeta.ru Adventor Management was the main investor behind the app and since 2014 invested €60 million in the development of its software, data bases and unique translation engine by a huge international IT team. The company,it is believed, approached Mr Alibek Isaev, who was previously known in UAE for his property portal YZER Property, to manage the work on the ground in Dubai; get all required licenses and permits from the government for the app and negotiate with local telecom operators.

But once the app was ready things allegedly soured with Mr Alibek Isaev being accused of illegally copying the developed software and launching a clone of his own, YzerChat FZ-LLC.

As a result, Adventor Management started legal proceedings and, last summer, won the first battle when a court in Saint-Petersburg banned the use of YzerChat. The app has been removed from the AppStore and Google Play although, until recently, it was available on UAE telecoms’ websites. It is believed Adventor will also file criminal lawsuits against Alibek Isaev and his team, including Konstantin Andryunin, in several countries where the software was developed.

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Before the app was blocked it is reported that Mr Isaev allegedly sold stakes in his company to investors, adding to the complicity of the case. The legal battle around YzerChat could put them as well as UAE telecoms in crosshairs.

According to the Russian daily newspaper, gazeta Nezavisimaya, Isaev and his partner Andryunin set up a company in the US to launch a similar messenger under different name, Voico, and are reportedly approaching new investors.

Adventor Management says Voico uses the same software and, it is thought, plans to sue the new company.

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