Apple reaches possible deal with Mountain View startup Rivos accused in 2022 to poach its employees and steal its manufacturing secrets. In the company file consulted by Bloomberg And Reuters, they told the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that they had signed an agreement that “potentially settles the matter.” Their agreement would allow Apple to conduct a forensic examination of Rivos' systems, as well as its activities.
When the iPhone maker sued Rivos, it said the startup waged a “coordinated campaign” to hire employees from its chip design division. Apple also accused the defendant of directing employees it hired to steal presentations and other proprietary information about unreleased iPhone chip designs that cost billions of dollars to develop. Rivos counter attack Apple last year, accusing the largest company of restricting employees' ability to work elsewhere and hindering the growth of emerging startups by using anti-competitive measures.
The tribunal rejected Apple's trade secret claims against Rivos in April 2023, although the company was allowed to file a revised complaint. Apple already ruler with its six former employees filing a countersuit against the iPhone maker with Rivos after dropping their claims against each other last month. Both companies are now asking the court to stay their case until March 15, when they hope the settlement will be finalized.