Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, christine balderas

T-Mobile USA has filed suit against Starbucks for breach of contract in response to the coffee company's recent announcement of a free wireless offering via AT&T Wi-Fi.

"T-Mobile, which had been exclusively providing Wi-Fi service at Starbucks since 2002, accused Starbucks of 'secretly' developing a promotional plan to let AT&T provide free Internet service at more than 7,000 U.S. Starbucks stores," writes the Seattle P-I's Dan Richman. "T-Mobile said it is bearing the cost and burden of that offer, because it still provides equipment and technology in all but two of Starbucks' U.S. markets... Starbucks began transitioning from T-Mobile to AT&T as its Wi-Fi provider in February. T-Mobile maintains that the Starbucks promotion violates a transition agreement giving T-Mobile exclusive rights to market and sell Wi-Fi Internet access at Starbucks stores until Jan. 4, 2009."

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