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Not your usual ramen shop

PEOPLE seeking to satisfy their craving for Japanese ramen but not in the usual way may want to check out the newly opened Mitsuyado Ramen Shokudo at the Japan Town of Top of the Glo in Glorietta 2, Makati.

Brought in by the same group behind Mitsuyado Sei-men: The House of Tsukemen — Infinity Foods Alliance — Mitsuyado Ramen Shokudo is designed cafeteria-style to have more people experience authentic Japanese ramen and other cuisines on a regular basis.

While Mitsuyado Sei-men, which specializes in tsukemen (dipping noodle), is known for making good quality thick noodles, at Mitsuyado Ramen Shokudo it is good quality thin noodles that are used.

Customers at Mitsuyado Ramen Shokudo can choose their own ramen and pair it with their own preferred toppings.

According to Judy Kay C. Ang of Infinity Foods Alliance, the idea for the newly opened restaurant stemmed from the company’s desire to offer a fast-paced venue to satisfy the ramen cravings of Filipinos.

In doing so, they decided to bring the prices down to affordable levels, beginning at P180 per bowl, so more people can appreciate and enjoy Japanese ramen.

“Here in the Philippines, Japanese restaurants are doing well, and Japanese food is popular here. And we want more people to experience that with Mitsuyado Ramen Shokudo,” said Ms. Ang in an interview with BusinessWorld during the opening of the restaurant on July 22.

“We decided to open here at Top of the Glo because it allows us to bring to a wider market what we offer. That is why we also adjusted the price points of our food,” she added.

Ms. Ang went on to say that Mitsuyado Ramen Shokudo complements Mitsuyado Sei-men well as it gives customers another way to appreciate tsukemen.

The ramen offerings include Hakata Ramen, a pork-based broth that originated from the Hakata District of Fukuoka in Kyushu in southern Japan. They also have the white original Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen, Red Spicy Ramen (which makes use of the Japanese spice karashi), Black Garlic, and Green Matcha ramens.

Customers are encouraged to customize their ramens by selecting from a variety of Japanese toppings include charsiu, sukiyaki, ajitama, and boneless pork chop, among others.

If the diner wants something other than ramen, Mitsuyado Ramen Shokudo also offers donburi (rice bowl) options. There are the Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl Don, Ebi Tempura Don, Chicken Karaage Don, Boneless Porkchop Don, and Gyoza to choose from.

After opening the Mitsuyado Ramen Shokudo branch at Top of the Glo, Ms. Ang said that they are set to open another branch at Vertis North in Quezon City. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

CNPF earnings jump 9% on strong sales

EARNINGS of Century Pacific Food, Inc. (CNPF) rose 9.34% in the second quarter of 2019, thanks to consistent demand for its branded food products such as Century Tuna, 555 and Birch Tree.

In a regulatory filing, the listed canned goods manufacturer said net profit reached P917.36 million in the three months ending June, higher than the P838.94 million it booked in the same period a year ago.

This came amid flattish growth in net revenues at one percent to P9.87 billion in the same period.

On a six-month basis, the listed firm’s net income grew 8.78% to P1.71 billion, while net revenues rose 5.77% to P19.61 billion.

CNPF’s branded business accounted for 78% of total revenues at P15.3 billion, 12% higher year on year. The company attributed the growth to the stable demand for its branded products in marine and meat categories, alongside the growing sales of milk.

The company’s brands include Century Tuna, 555, Blue Bay, Fresca, Lucky 7, Argentina, Birch Tree, Kaffe de Oro, and Home Pride, among others.

The firm noted that milk products generated 22% of total sales by end of June, compared to its 11% contribution in end-2016.

Meanwhile, CNPF’s original equipment manufacturer exports dropped as the company had to reduce prices due to lower commodity prices of tuna and coconut.

“We are relieved that growth in our core branded products was sustained in spite of the dampening effects of El Niño in some parts of our country,” CNPF Chief Finance Officer Oscar Pobre said in a statement.

Mr. Pobre said they remain on track to hit their target of double-digit growth for the year, banking on its core branded business and other innovations throughout 2019. — Arra B. Francia

Companies using Facebook ‘Like’ button liable for data — EU court

BRUSSELS — Companies that embed Facebook’s “Like” button on their websites must seek users’ consent to transfer their personal data to the US social network, in line with the bloc’s data privacy laws, Europe’s top court said on Monday.

Website plug-ins such as Facebook’s “Like” button are a common feature of online retail as companies seek to promote their products on popular social networks, but critics fear the data transfer may breach privacy laws.

The ruling from the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) came after a German consumer body sued German online fashion retailer Fashion ID for breaching personal data protection rules via its use of the button on its site.

A German court subsequently sought guidance. ECJ judges said websites and Facebook share joint responsibility.

Under landmark EU data privacy rules adopted last year, a data controller determines why personal data must be collected and processed and also secure consent from users. A data processor only processes personal data on behalf of the controller and is usually a third-party company.

“The operator of a website that features a Facebook ‘Like’ button can be a controller jointly with Facebook in respect of the collection and transmission to Facebook of the personal data of visitors to its website,” the judges said.

The German retailer benefited from a commercial advantage as the ‘Like’ button made its products more visible on Facebook, the court said, though it noted the company is not liable for how Facebook subsequently processes the data.

Facebook said the ruling sheds clarity on website plug-ins, calling them an important feature of the Internet.

SOCIAL PLUG-INS
“We are carefully reviewing the court’s decision and will work closely with our partners to ensure they can continue to benefit from our social plug-ins and other business tools in full compliance with the law,” Jack Gilbert, Facebook’s associate general counsel, said in a statement.

Verbraucherzentrale NRW, the German consumer protection group which took Fashion ID to court, welcomed the ruling. “Companies that profit from user data must now live up to their responsibility,” its head Wolfgang Schuldzinski said.

Germany’s main technology industry association Bitkom however lamented the burden placed on website operators.

“The European court is imposing an enormous responsibility on thousands of website operators — from the small travel blog to the online megastore, as well as the portals of major publishers,” said Bitkom head Bernhard Rohleder.

He said the ruling would not only affect websites with an embedded Facebook “Like” button, but all social media plug-ins, forcing their operators to reach data agreements or face liability for collecting the data of users.

The ruling is in line with strict data privacy laws adopted by the 28-country bloc last year, said Nils Rauer, a partner at law firm Pinsent Masons.

“The court was right in assessing whether Fashion ID had an interest in collaborating with Facebook by way of embedding the ‘Like’ Button,” Rauer said, adding plug-ins will continue to be popular notwithstanding the judgment.

“Personally, I do not think that companies will turn away from embedding ‘Like’ buttons due to the judgment. Presumably, they will pay more attention to the embedding process, by way of obtaining dedicated data privacy advice,” Rauer said.

The case is C-40/17 Fashion ID. — Reuters

Jollibee sets sights on Indonesia with CBTL beachhead

MANILA — Philippines’ Jollibee Foods Corp. is training its sights on Indonesia, with newly acquired US chain Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) its entry point in the economically expanding and densely populated Southeast Asian neighbor, its top officials said.

Jollibee has for years planned to bring its Chickenjoy fried chicken and sweet spaghetti restaurants to Indonesia, but last week’s $100-million investment for the struggling coffee chain has bought it a foothold in the market of 260 million people.

“One thing that might emerge and very interesting is Indonesia,” Chief Financial Officer Ysmael Baysa told Reuters.

The restaurant scene in Indonesia is cornered by the likes of Restoran Sederhana, McDonald’s Corp, and Yum! Brands, Inc.’s KFC and Pizza Hut.

“Coffee Bean gives us an immediate presence in Indonesia and also gives us a platform on which we can further expand our business there,” Mr. Baysa said.

Jollibee’s purchase of money-losing Coffee Bean from private equity firm Advent International and others was its largest foreign acquisition to date, and its second coffee brand after Highlands Coffee in Vietnam. Coffee Bean has 101 outlets in Indonesia among its 1,189 branches across 27 countries.

Jollibee, the Philippines’ best-known brand, started as two ice cream parlors four decades ago, but soon shifted to the burgers and fried chicken that have been a big draw at home and among many of the estimated 10 million Filipinos who work or have settled overseas.

Through its 12 brands and franchises, Jollibee operates 3,195 outlets in the Philippines and has a further 1,418 dotted across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the United States, Britain and China, among them Smashburger, Yonghee King, Chow King, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, plus franchises of Dunkin in China and Burger King in the Philippines.

Jollibee is eyeing a turnaround of Coffee Bean to make it profitable in 12-18 months, Mr. Baysa said. Coffee Bean posted $313 million in revenue and a net loss of $21 million last year.

The Philippine fastfood chain was worth $5.8 billion prior to announcing its acquisition but shed $890 million in market value in two days as investors sold its stock on concerns about it over-spending on a money-losing coffee chain. It has since recouped more than half of the losses.

Jollibee President and Chief Executive Ernesto Tanmantiong said the firm aims for 50% of sales to come from overseas within three to five years, from about 27% now.

It aims to be among the world’s five biggest fastfood firms, he said, adding it has no qualms about delving into a coffee market peppered with big names such as Starbucks Corp. and Tim Hortons.

“It’s a very big market to enter,” he told Reuters, adding that the company would continue to broaden its portfolio of businesses when it sees good opportunities.

“Our strategy is to have strong organic growth as well as strategic acquisitions,” he said. — Reuters

Horses pull shrimp nets in tradition unchanged for 600 years

BRUSSELS — In the small western Belgian fishing village of Oostduinkerke, fishermen use horses, rather than boats, to go shrimp fishing — one of the very few places in the world still using a technique dating back to the 15th century.

The method makes use of the horse’s strength to pull a fishing net through the shallow waters of Oostduinkerke, a natural habitat to grey shrimp (Crangon crangon), just before and after low tide.

While centuries ago it was also used in northern France, the Netherlands and the south of England, now only 15 Belgian fisherman in the village use the UNESCO-recognized method several times a week, drawing tourists from all over the world.

The fishermen say, however, that each year they pull more and more plastic waste out of the water.

“We see that the population of shrimps is going down every year. We catch a lot of plastic these days. Little plastic pieces, wraps, bottles are common things to see in the net,” said Katrien Terryn, whose boyfriend Dominique Vandendriessche has fished for 20 years.

“I think we are at the point where the pollution and plastic in the ocean will become a bigger problem. We will see the consequences more and more in upcoming years.”

Fishermen separate shrimps at the beach by hand and take out only the big shrimps, returning the smaller ones to the sea. — Reuters

Term deposits undersubscribed as BSP increases auction volume

DEMAND FOR term deposits climbed on Wednesday but remained below program amid a higher offer volume from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) following the final phase of cuts to lenders’ reserve ratios.

The central bank received P78.639 billion in tenders for its term deposit facility (TDF) yesterday, below the P100 billion it placed on the auction block and the P66.231 billion recorded a week ago for an P80-billion offer.

Broken down, bids for the seven-day papers totalled P31.247 billion, less than the P40 billion up for auction but more than the P27.755 billion in tenders seen a week ago, which was against a P30-billion program.

Banks asked for yields from 4.5% to 4.99%, a wider range versus the 4.5-4.603 % margin seen the previous week. The average rate settled at 4.5967%, a tad higher than last week’s 4.5679%.

Meanwhile, the 14-day papers received P29.777 billion in tenders, leaving the P30 billion on the auction block undersubscribed. However, this is more than the P16.776 billion in bids logged last week.

Accepted yields settled between 4.5% and 4.795%, a tad wider than the 4.5%-4.7% range sought in the previous week and causing the average rate to increase to 4.6548% from last week’s 4.6277%.

Bids for the 28-day term deposits, on the other hand, reached P27.615 billion, almost reaching the P30 billion on offer. This is also higher than the P21.7 billion in offers seen a week ago for the BSP’s P20-billion offer.

Returns sought by lenders ranged between 4.55% and 4.845%, also wider than last week’s 4.5%-4.75% margin. The average yield inched up to 4.6853% from the 4.6495% the previous week.

The TDF stands as the central bank’s primary tool to shore up excess funds in the financial system and to better guide market interest rates.

The market expects the BSP’s Monetary Board (MB) to slash interest rates when it reviews policy anew on Aug. 8.

At its June meeting, the MB kept rates unchanged on expectations of steady inflation and economic growth and as it monitors the impact of recent monetary adjustments.

The central bank left the interest rate on the BSP’s overnight reverse repurchase facility untouched at 4.5%. The interest rates on the overnight lending and deposit facilities were likewise held steady at five percent and four percent, respectively.

BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno earlier said the regulator may cut policy rates in the second half before moving to reduce banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR).

After a 100-basis-point (bp) RRR cut across all banks on May 31, the BSP trimmed the reserve ratios of universal and commercial lenders and thrift banks by another 50 bps last June 28 to 16.5% and 6.5%, respectively.

Another 50-bp reduction was implemented last July 26, bringing the reserve quotas of big banks to 16% and thrift banks to 6% and completing the phased cuts the BSP announced in May. — K.A.N. Vidal

Oppo rolls out ColorOS 6 upgrade

OPPO has rolled out the ColorOS 6 Open Beta for its F9 smartphone, with support for other phone models set to be introduced by September.

ColorOS 6 Open Beta offers users the latest Android Pie mobile operating system experience and comes with all-new customized features, Oppo said in a statement.

The new upgrade first hits Oppo’s F9 smartphone and will subsequently be rolled out for the flagship Find X by the end of August and selected Oppo devices by end-September.

All models upgraded to ColorOS 6 integrate the new features introduced by Android Pie, including improved interactions, enhanced AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities, and interface optimization.

Android Pie is powered by Google’s AI capabilities with Google Assistant, ARcore, and Google Lens, among others. Oppo’s integration of the latest software update provides a smoother experience for users.

ColorOS 6 also adopts a borderless design concept by combining light, subtle colors and a simple white background for a cleaner user interface. The operating system also shifts the navigation bar to the top of the screen and streamlines information hierarchy by replacing tapping with swiping to improve interactions.

The new OS also introduces two new photography features: Dazzle Color Mode and a brand-new portrait style. Dazzle Color Mode leverages mapping algorithms to restore vivid colors, reverse light, and improve shading in pictures.

Under the update, Oppo’s gaming optimization program Game Boost has likewise been upgraded to version 2.0. The addition of new core technologies Touch Boost and Frame Boost also improve game feel and frame rate stability.

ColorOS 6 also introduces security features to mitigate the risks of personal data leaks, including App Encryption, Private Safe, and Find my Device.

To ensure payment security, ColorOS 6 features automatic payment blocking, payment identity verification, and environment monitoring for payment apps.

AirAsia PHL names new CEO

PHILIPPINES AirAsia, Inc. has undergone top-level leadership change with the appointment of a new chief executive officer (CEO), former PLDT Global Corp. executive, Ricardo “Ricky” P. Isla.

In a statement Wednesday, the local unit of the Malaysian budget carrier said Mr. Isla will replace Dexter M. Comendador, who was appointed as the company’s chief operating officer.

“I am thrilled to welcome Ricky to our senior leadership team. Ricky has an outstanding track record of leading and transforming businesses, especially when it comes to increasing revenue and market share, customer satisfaction and employee engagement,” Philippines AirAsia Chairman Marianne B. Hontiveros said in the statement.

Mr. Isla was previously the head for business and product development, marketing and sales of PLDT Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of listed telecommunications giant PLDT, Inc.

The leadership change in the carrier comes after Romero-led F&S Holdings, Inc. raised its stake in Philippines AirAsia to be its single largest shareholder (44.4%).

The carrier is aiming to swing to profit this year from a loss of P2.11 billion last year, with revenue target set at P30 billion by end-2019. — Denise A. Valdez

Australia’s ‘golden apples’

THERE’S A belief that the many golden apples mentioned in Greek mythology — the food and playthings of the gods — were actually oranges from the East. Also, just in case you want to know, the name of the color comes from the fruit and not the other way around. Now, the fruit is grown everywhere, with 2018 data from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization stating that 73 million tons of oranges are grown worldwide.

Of these, nearly 10,000 tons are exported from Australia to the Philippines, from a “negligible” amount in 2013, according to David Daniels, Citrus Australia’s General Manager for Market Development. Market access for Australian fruits was granted by the Philippine government in 2012, but Mr. Daniels said, “We’ve actually had market access for a lot of years before 2012, but the conditions were… very difficult.”

Today, according to him, the Philippines is the ninth largest market for Australian citrus fruits.

“It just took us a few years to get the science together and to get that science to the Philippine government… that’s a lengthy process.”

The vitamin-C rich fruit was the star of a trade event at the Hilton Manila last week, where oranges were prepared as a variety of dishes, from savory to sweet, in order to show the fruit’s versatility. The dishes included a marvelous smoked duck breast with candied Australian orange, grilled beef skewers with oranges, braised lamb in couscous with oranges, and dessert, of course, with a flourless orange and almond cake.

“Australian oranges arguably have the best color, flavor, and sweetness of any citrus in the world,” said Mr. Daniels.

Nardia Simpson, Economic Counsellor for the Australian Embassy, said that the fruits are available in the Philippines only from July to October to ensure that “premium picks are offered to the Philippine consumer.” She also credits the increase of their products coming into the Philippines with an increase in consumer demand, as well as an increase in the number of retail stores offering their produce within and outside the capital.

While Mr. Daniels points to the extraordinary terrain and climate of Australia for their produce, he of course applauds the growers, numbering about 2,000. “Our growers are working hard to consistently and reliably deliver the best possible fruit to market.

“It’s not just luck that makes our fruit best in the world.”

It might sound like a stretch, but asking how one markets a fruit to occupy a level higher than similar produce from other markets, Mr. Daniels said, “We let the product speak for itself.” He points out, for example, that consumers are aware of oranges from South Africa, the US, and Argentina.

“When we compare against (for example), a South African piece of fruit, the flavor and the color will be different.” — JL Garcia

LANDBANK to boost lending to agriculture

LAND BANK of the Philippines said it will boost loans to the farm sector.

LAND BANK of the Philippines (LANDBANK) said Mindanao will receive the biggest chunk of the bank’s loans, with the region having the biggest agricultural area in the country.

“Since Mindanao is the biggest agricultural area, then of course Mindanao will continue to get a very large of our loans to agri,” LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo told reporters at the sidelines of a central bank event on Friday.

Ms. Borromeo said the bank is looking to increase its loan to the agriculture sector by 20% by 2020 through “intensified efforts.”

“Historically, our agri loan portfolio has been growing by more than 15% year-on-year. Probably with the intensified efforts we might reach 20% growth. Not this year (but) probably in 2020,” she added.

In his State of the Nation Address last month, President Rodrigo R. Duterte threatened to abolish the LANDBANK for supposedly neglecting its mandate to finance agricultural projects and endeavors, criticizing the bank for being “mired with so many commercial transactions.”

However, the bank earlier said it is the only bank compliant with the Agri-Agra Law. Republic Act 10000 or the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act mandates banks to allot at least 10% of their total loanable funds to agrarian reform beneficiaries and 15% for farmers and fisherfolk.

Data provided to reporters showed LANDBANK’s exposure to the agriculture and fisheries sectors amounted to P177.32 billion as of end-June, 22.17% of the lender’s total loan portfolio of P799.64 billion — 16.8% higher than P151.78 billion recorded as of June 2018.

This is on top of the P42.31 billion lent to the “mandated” sector, which includes small farmers including agrarian reform beneficiaries and their associations (P42.17 billion) as well as small fishers and their associations (P140 million).

Meanwhile, Ms. Borromeo said the bank is encouraging small farmers to join cooperatives and associations as it looks to “intensify” its lending to the agricultural sector.

“We are the biggest lender to the agriculture [sector] already. So we just need to reach out to more small farmers and their cooperatives, which is what we’ve been trying to do year after year. We just need to intensify it some more,” she added. — BML

Liquidity growth steady in June despite RRR cuts

MONEY SUPPLY growth remained steady amid slightly lower demand for credit, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported Wednesday, even as the central bank trimmed lenders’ reserve requirement ratios (RRR).

Domestic liquidity or M3, the broadest measure of money in an economy, grew 6.4% year-on-year to about P11.78 trillion in June, steady from the expansion recorded in May, latest BSP data showed.

Money supply increased 0.3% month-on-month.

“Demand for credit eased slightly but remained the principal driver of money supply growth,” the central bank said in a statement.

Net claims on the central government contracted by 3.9% in June, following the a 6.4% decline tallied the previous month, party due to the increase in deposits by the national government with the BSP.

Meanwhile, domestic claims grew 6.2%, decelerating from May’s 6.8% pace, supported by sustained growth in loans to the private sector.

The central bank said credit for production activities continued to be driven by lending to key sectors such as real estate activities, financial and insurance activities, electricity, gas, steam and airconditioning supply, construction, wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, as well as manufacturing.

Meanwhile, loans for household consumption increased on the back of growth in credit card loans and other types of household loans in June.

Net foreign assets (NFA) expressed in peso terms expanded by 5.3% in June from 4.4% in May, propelled by foreign exchange inflows coming mainly from business process outsourcing receipts as well as remittances from overseas Filipinos.

In contrast, the NFA of banks continued to decline as their foreign obligations increased due to higher placements and deposits made by offshore banks with their local branches and other lenders.

After a 100-basis-point (bp) RRR cut across all banks on May 31, the BSP trimmed the reserve ratios of universal and commercial lenders and thrift banks by another 50 bps last June 28 to 16.5% and 6.5%, respectively.

Another 50-bp cut was implemented last July 26 to bring the RRR of big banks to 16% and thrift banks to 6%, completing the phased cuts the BSP announced in May.

BANK LENDING SLOWS
Meanwhile, bank lending decelerated in June due to slower growth in credit to the corporate sector, the BSP reported separately.

Outstanding loans grew 10.5% in June, slower than the 11.9% pace recorded in May. Inclusive of reverse repurchase agreements, bank lending growth also eased to 10.5% in June from 10.6% the previous month.

Production loans accounted for the bulk of the credit at 88% even as growth eased to 9.8% in June from the 11.5% the previous month.

Construction loans continued to log the highest increase at 42.5%, followed by financial and insurance activities at 22%; real estate activities at 13.5%; electricity, gas, steam and airconditioning supply at 13.5%; wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles at 6.5%; and manufacturing at 4.1%, BSP data showed.

Lending to other sectors also increased during the month except those in other community, social and personal activities which dropped 51.9%, and professional, scientific and technical activities, which declined 30.5%.

Loans for household consumption grew 15.3% in June, higher than the 14.6 % booked in May, on the back of growth in credit card, motor vehicle and salary-based loans.

“Going forward, the BSP will continue to ensure that the expansion in domestic credit and liquidity remains consistent with the BSP’s price and financial stability objectives,” the central bank said. — KANV

Voice software pioneer says Amazon used its technology in Alexa

A VOICE software technology developer is suing Amazon.com Inc., saying the e-commerce giant infringed on patents when developing software for the Alexa digital assistant.

VB Assets LLC, which owns the rights to some of the technology developed by voice software pioneer VoiceBox Technologies, said in a lawsuit filed in Delaware federal court on Monday that Amazon infringed on six of its patents covering conversational voice interfaces, commerce and advertisements.

Amazon didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

VoiceBox, founded in 2001, built software designed to help computers understand speech, and demonstrated in the mid-2000s a device that could do things like recite the weather, play music or search for recipes on command. The company provided speech services to companies including Toyota and Samsung.

In 2011, VoiceBox, based in Bellevue, Washington, not far from Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, contacted its larger neighbor to propose Amazon license its natural language understanding software, the complaint says. VoiceBox staff held two meetings with Amazon corporate development employees and technologists, but didn’t hear from Amazon afterward, according to the complaint.

Three years later, Amazon launched Alexa and the cylindrical Echo smart speaker the software powers. Alexa and the Echo were “strikingly similar to the patented technology that VoiceBox Technologies showed Amazon in 2011,” the complaint says.

Amazon subsequently hired VoiceBox’s chief scientist and held a recruiting event to encourage other employees to make the jump, the complaint says.

Mike Kennewick, then VoiceBox’s chief executive officer, sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2017 expressing concerns about Amazon’s recruiting and suggested that Amazon buy the firm. In subsequent meetings with Amazon that winter, VoiceBox handed over a summary of its patent portfolio, the complaint says.

VoiceBox was acquired last year by Nuance Communications Inc., a Massachusetts-based voice technology company. The patents at issue in the lawsuit filed on Monday didn’t follow VoiceBox’s portfolio to Nuance and were instead transferred to a new entity, VB Assets.

The new firm’s address was given in patent documents as a Bellevue residence owned by Kennewick. He is the only governing person on VB Assets’ listing in Washington state’s corporation database.

Dan Branley, a spokesman for VB Assets, said the firm is owned by a trust created for the benefit of employees and investors in the original VoiceBox. He declined to name any of them.

The case is VB Assets vs. Amazon.com, 19-cv-1410, District of Delaware (Wilmington). — Bloomberg

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