Full coverage: Web Summit

The warring Web Summit founders are engaged in an information battle as they gear up for trial. Extensive talks between the lawyers paid off as the parties clipped back the scope of the documents in dispute. But some key battlegrounds remain over the value of the company.

In the absence of mediation or any move to agree a buyout of the minority interests, "expensive and complicated" remains the most likely forecast for this internecine corporate fight at the world's leading tech conference.

In a new court filing, Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave claims to "correct the record" on oppression allegations made against him by the company's shareholders. He also ups the stakes with a swathe of new claims about former business partner Daire Hickey.

The new suit against tech entrepreneur Paddy Cosgrave and Web Summit, filed two days before Christmas, is a spin-off from Daire Hickey’s minority shareholder oppression claim.

A confidential strategy document warned of the reputational considerations and advised Web Summit to get ahead of the story and downgrade as far as possible the alleged hacking of the Dublin Tech Summit.

Web Summit co-founder Daire Hickey claims Paddy Cosgrave told staff at a "town hall" address that they should either deal with the stress or leave the company and accept that they would only ever be "average people" or "civil servants". Hickey is suing Cosgrave for minority shareholder oppression.

In new court filings, the Web Summit co-founder David Kelly complains of a “complete breakdown” in relations with chief executive Paddy Cosgrave, who is accused of running the business for his own benefit.

Two founders of Web Summit are locked in a bitter row over a multi-million euro venture capital fund. Both have very different stories to tell.

Web Summit co-founder David Kelly claims Paddy Cosgrave made unilateral decisions and used company staff and resources for personal political projects. The claims are denied.

After building the Web Summit event into a formidable networking and deal-making machine, co-founders Paddy Cosgrave and David Kelly branched into venture capital. This is how and why they fell out.