Still in the testing stage, Google launched the invitation-only orkut network quietly in January, explaining that it had been developed by software engineer Orkut Buyukkokten during the 20% of working time that he, like all Google employees, is allowed to devote to personal interests.
But Buyukkokten previously launched Affinity Engines with a fellow Stanford graduate and Affinity claims to have found nine software bugs in its own products that are also present in Google's. The presence of identical bugs in rival products is often used as evidence in code copying cases.
Affinity is seeking damages and royalties for the allegedly-stolen source code, although Google's director of corporate communications, David Krane said the claims are without merit. He told Wired in an e-mail: "We have repeatedly offered to allow a neutral expert to compare the codes in the two programs and evaluate Affinity's claims, but Affinity has rejected that offer."