As speculation about Apple s interest in the car business mounts, the tech giant has been sued for poaching engineers with expertise in large-scale batteries.
A123 Battery Systems, which makes batteries for electric cars, sued Apple in Massachusetts earlier this month alleging that it waged an aggressive campaign to lure engineers leading vital projects. Although the engineers had been deeply entrenched in A123’s intellectual property, they joined Apple to do similar work, and one enticed his old colleagues to join him at the iPhone maker, in violation of their employment agreements, according to the complaint. A123 also sued its former employees.
The case, which Apple moved to federal court earlier this week, could create a snag for the tech giant s hiring efforts: A123 is seeking injunctions barring its former employees from doing similar work for competing companies for one year and blocking Apple from poaching any more talent. The Waltham, Mass.-based company also seeks monetary damages, arguing that a few key projects have stalled as a result of the defections.
Apple willfully, maliciously and improperly raided the Venture Technology division of A123, states the complaint, which was first spotted by Law360. A123 suffered a severe economic impact as a result of Apple s raiding.
The suit further fuels speculation that Apple is ramping up development of an electric car, following detailed reports last week from the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. Apple is building a large-scale battery division that will rival A123’s, according to the complaint.
The suit centers on five A123 employees defections to Apple. The Cupertino-based tech giant began recruiting A123 employees around June 2014, according to the complaint.
Lawyers for A123 declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Apple also declined to comment.
Above: Buzz is mounting that Apple is exploring electric cars (Getty Images).
