The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, Jan. 22, edition that the founders of a Montreal-based start-up claim that a lawsuit filed by the National Bank of Canada and Flinks aims to deter investors from offering financing. The Globe's Stefanie Marotta writes that Deck Software made the claim in the Superior Court of Quebec on Tuesday. National in 2021 bought a majority stake in Flinks, which was run by co-founders Yves-Gabriel Leboeuf and Frederick Lavoie. But more than a year after they departed in 2024 to focus on Deck, National filed a $5.7-million lawsuit against the pair and their new start-up, alleging they violated a non-competition agreement. Flinks co-founders Mr. Leboeuf and Mr. Lavoie allege the lawsuit is "frivolous" and "abusive." Deck creates software that allows users to grant permission for third parties to access data from any on-line portal. It builds AI agents that act on behalf of a user in login-protected websites. Unlike chatbots, which perform simple tasks, agents autonomously perform multistep jobs. The filing claims that Mr. Leboeuf and Mr. Lavoie were transparent with the bank and the fintech about their plans and that the companies accepted Deck's activities.