CLARIFICATION: This article has been updated to clarify that Real Estate Industry Solutions filed a copyright lawsuit against Concepts in Data Management USA Inc. in July 2010.
Florida Realtors’ subsidiary Real Estate Industry Solutions LLC (REIS) says it’s entered into a multiyear partnership to be the online real estate forms application provider for the Arkansas Realtors Association.
REIS announced similar deals in May to provide its Form Simplicity online forms management tool to members of state Realtor associations in Massachusetts and Iowa.
REIS said the Arkansas Realtors Association will offer Form Simplicity to members in an "all inclusive" package that includes unlimited e-signatures and faxing, additional storage space, monthly online seminars on Arkansas-specific forms, and a monthly e-newsletter, Lifeline.
REIS remains embroiled in litigation in U.S. District Court over claims by Concepts In Data Management U.S. Inc. (CDM) that REIS used its confidential information, including software code, to develop Form Simplicity.
CDM, which does business as Instanet Solutions, provided transaction management services to Florida Realtors for nearly a decade. In a court filing last year, CDM claimed REIS developed Form Simplicity to not only replace CDM as the provider of services to Florida Realtors, but to compete with CDM in the national market.
Attorneys for REIS deny those allegations. REIS had fired the first salvo in the legal battle, filing a copyright suit against CDM on July 13, 2010, alleging that CDM has used forms developed by Florida Realtors without authorization.
The case is in discovery phase, with attorneys interviewing witnesses and poring over thousands of documents. In a motion filed this week, attorneys for CDM sought sanctions against REIS for allegedly engaging in delaying tactics.