Court commands iPod boss to stop working

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 10 Nov 2008 at 10:46

Apple's new iPod boss, Mark Papermaster, has been ordered by a US court to stop working immediately, while it files through the details of a lawsuit brought by IBM.

Papermaster took the position of senior vice president of devices hardware engineering last week, moving from IBM where he was vice president of the company's blade development unit, which designs IBM's blade-model servers.

However, the company immediately filed a lawsuit blocking the move, alleging that Papermaster signed a non-compete agreement in 2006, prohibiting him from working for an IBM competitor for at least a year.

According to the IBM suit, Papermaster is "in possession of significant and highly confidential IBM trade secrets and know-how, as well as highly sensitive information regarding business strategy and long-term opportunities."

The company further claims it would be "irreparably damaged" should Papermaster disclose company secrets to his new employer. However, lawyers defending the Apple executive claim his role will not require him to utilise any secrets.

"Apple hired Papermaster not because of any specific knowledge or experience he gained at IBM, but for his general skill as an engineer and his strong management skills, knowing full well that he will need to learn the iPod and iPhone technology on the job," the counter filing claims. "Nothing about his new role will implicate any trade secrets of IBM."

The two sides will appear in court in on 18 November.