Motorola Accuses Ex-VP Of Stealing Trade Secrets

Status
Not open for further replies.

Squad10

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Messages
922
Law360, New York (September 04, 2013, 1:39 PM ET) -- Motorola Solutions Inc. sued one of its former vice presidents in Illinois state court Tuesday for allegedly violating a confidentiality agreement by trying to take trade secrets related to the company's two-way radio and broadband businesses with him to (Harris) a direct competitor.

Motorola Accuses Ex-VP Of Stealing Trade Secrets - Law360
 

erinwall7

Member
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
1
Location
Durham, NC
Wonder if I could sue some of my former employees who took my companies trade secrets to my competitor here in North Carolina. Or sue my competitors for saying we were going out of business. Seems to me whats fair is fair
 

INDY72

Monitoring since 1982, using radios since 1991.
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
14,636
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Hmmm, thought it was SOP to sign a legally binding piece of paper called a NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT that usually says if I work for you, I will keep my big mouth shut about everything we do at this corporate entity for up to X years after my employment ends or I will be sued for everything I own, used to own, will ever own, including my firstborn children so help me God? :)

Oh forgot clause B: If I die before said legal action is final, then my family up til the Nth generation will be liable???
 

krokus

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jun 9, 2006
Messages
5,964
Location
Southeastern Michigan
Wonder if I could sue some of my former employees who took my companies trade secrets to my competitor here in North Carolina. Or sue my competitors for saying we were going out of business. Seems to me whats fair is fair

If you have a signed non-disclosure and/or non-competition document/clause, it should be an open and shut case.
 

PJH

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Aug 23, 2002
Messages
3,620
The inital link headline is misleading... According to several other articles, they are suing him to prevent him to taking the Harris job and not accusing him (yet) of actually giving away trade secrets.

"The company says Darren McQueen resigned Aug. 23 to take a job with Melbourne, Fla.-based Harris Corp. as head of its public-safety business. Motorola Solutions, whose primary business is making police radios and other public-safety equipment, says Mr. McQueen is violating his noncompete agreement by taking the job.

Motorola fears Mr. McQueen could use its trade secrets, including product road maps or pricing strategies, to provide Harris “a virtual playbook of Motorola Solutions' competitive and market strategies,” says the lawsuit, filed Sept. 3 in Cook County Circuit Court.

Mr. McQueen, 53, had worked for Schaumburg-based Motorola since 2004. Most recently, he was a corporate vice president in charge of its most advanced public-safety products, which combine fourth-generation wireless phone technology. Motorola sees the market for such products, which it estimates to be worth up to $1 billion annually over the next five years, as crucial to its business. "

"Motorola says in the lawsuit that it assumed Mr. McQueen was going to work for a partner, such as Ericsson or Verizon, but was shocked when he informed management at 5:21 p.m. on a Friday that he was leaving for a competitor."
 

CRVFC500FF

Member
Joined
May 4, 2005
Messages
10
Location
Owings Mills, MD
First Article Misleading

This was sensationalized to draw in the reader. These types of law suites happen all of the time. The burden is on Motorola to show that he has caused damage to their business (no) or is in breach of contract (possibly). Usually these are suites brought after the person has taken the job and worked 3-6 months or more. That way they can show a clear cause for losing a contract or missing a delivery. If Harris really wants this guy they should have had him lay low for 6 months to a year and then quietly hired him.
 

msradell

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2003
Messages
183
Location
Louisville, KY
It all boils down to the agreement he signed with Motorola. Many noncompete agreements state that you can't go to work for a competitor within X number of years after you quit the company you signed the agreement with. Since Harris is a major competitor of Motorola and noncompete clause would certainly prevent him from going to work for them.
 

MASTRTECH

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2003
Messages
126
Location
South Louisiana
Let me guess, Moto has never done this. I have seem several top execs come from Moto to Harris and then back to Moto at a convient time!! hummmm!!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top