Code.org, a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to advancing computer science education among schoolchildren, has taken legal action against WhiteHat Jr, a company owned by Byju’s, citing unpaid fees and breach of a licensing agreement.
The lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco district court as reported by TechCrunch and reviewed by Entrackr, alleges that WhiteHat Jr violated the terms of an agreement signed in May 2021. The partnership aimed to bolster WhiteHat Jr’s coding course by integrating Code.org’s educational content. Through this collaboration, WhiteHat Jr provided personalized tutoring using Code.org’s resources through their pool of 11,000 teachers.
According to the lawsuit, Code.org claims that WhiteHat Jr was obliged to pay $4 million over four years to license Code.org’s coding education platform. However, WhiteHat Jr reportedly failed to adhere to the payment schedule while continuing to utilize the educational courseware.
WhiteHat Jr was acquired by Byju’s for $300 million three years ago. Its former CEO, Karan Bajaj, had overseen Byju’s Future School until his departure from the company in August 2021.
Media reports indicate that Byju’s intended to integrate WhiteHat Jr’s assets into other business divisions, including its holding company, Think & Learn Pvt Ltd. Additionally, there are plans to potentially rebrand WhiteHat Jr in the forthcoming months. However, the company’s new CEO, Ananya Tripathi, resigned in August.