IBM is not letting go without a fight. The computer maker has filed a lawsuit against one of its former top-level executives who left the company to work at Apple.
Mark Papermaster, a server expert and vice president of IBM’s blade development unit, is slated to start at Apple in just a few weeks but his knowledge of IBM trade secrets may stop him from joining the maker of Macs.
IBM, which spends billions on research each year, is basing its lawsuit filed in US District Court in Manhattan on Oct. 22 on a non-competition agreement Papermaster signed in 2006 which states he would not work for any competitor up to one year after his employment ended with IBM. The complaint also cites IBM trade secrets as another reason for stopping the move to work alongside with Apple’s chief executive, Steve Jobs.
The no-compete document, in which Papermaster signed, says the executive acknowledges that IBM engages in an intensely competitive environment and will not associate with or engage in any business enterprise for one year work for any competitor and for two years not lure any other IBM employee to a competitor.
“Mr. Papermaster’s employment by Apple is a violation of his agreement with IBM against working for a competitor should he leave IBM,” said IBM in a statement to CNET, who broke the story. “We will vigorously pursue this case in court.”
The 26-year veteran is also a member of the company’s Integration and Values Team, a group of more than 300 senior managers. The IVT group is responsible for IBM’s most significant and challenging issues, according to court documents. If those issues are shared with competitors, IBM will lose its upper hand.
IBM’s work in microprocessors and servers maybe the crux behind the lawsuit. IBM states in court documents that Papermaster’s years working…