An IT services firm recently sued by Epicor has responded, calling the claims “unwarranted” and part of an attempt on Epicor’s part to “monopolize” the services market for its ERP (enterprise resource planning) software.

Epicor sued Alternative Technology Solutions in March, alleging that the company illegally used Epicor’s software to create and sell “bolt-on” products and services. Such add-ons can’t be created without access to Epicor’s applications, but Alternative has never licensed the software, nor has Epicor given a third party permission to give Alternative access, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Instead, Alternative has “duplicated” the software or managed to access it illegally, violating Epicor’s intellectual property as well as software license agreements between Epicor and customers, according to the suit. Alternative has also given customers the erroneous impression that it is an authorized Epicor partner through the use of Epicor trademarks, the suit alleges.

A number of Alternative employees, including CEO Vivian Keena, once worked at Epicor.

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