GlobalFoundries Files Lawsuit Against IBM to Protect its Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets
April 19 2023 - 8:31AM
GlobalFoundries (NASDAQ: GFS) (GF) today sued IBM for trade
secret misappropriation. The complaint asserts the former
semiconductor manufacturing company has unlawfully disclosed GF’s
confidential IP and trade secrets, after IBM sold its
microelectronics business to GF in 2015. The technology at issue
was collaboratively developed, over decades, by the companies in
Albany, New York and the sole and exclusive right to license and
disclose that technology was transferred to GF upon the sale.
In the legal action filed in federal court in the Southern
District of New York, GF asserts that IBM unlawfully disclosed GF
IP and trade secrets to IBM partners including Intel and Japan’s
Rapidus, a newly formed advanced logic foundry, and by doing so,
IBM is unjustly receiving potentially hundreds of millions of
dollars in licensing income and other benefits.
The complaint notes that IBM’s executives have described the
Intel and Rapidus partnerships as based on decades of technology
derived from research conducted at the Albany NanoTech Complex,
technology that they had no right to disclose. It also raises
concerns over the extent to which IBM may have unlawfully disclosed
GF’s IP and trade secrets beyond these two heavily publicized
partnerships.
GF is asking for compensatory and punitive damages as well as an
injunction against IBM preventing further unlawful disclosure and
use of GF’s trade secrets.
In addition, GF’s complaint asserts that IBM is targeting and
recruiting GF’s world-class engineering talent at the company’s
manufacturing facility, which is located near the Albany NanoTech
Complex. In the complaint, GF asks the court to end the unlawful
recruitment efforts, which have accelerated since the IBM/Rapidus
announcement in December 2022.
GF has made significant investment in research and development
to advance its feature-rich technology and is one of the world’s
leading semiconductor foundries with a global footprint and more
than 13,000 employees, 2,500 of whom are based at the company’s
headquarters in upstate New York. GF will aggressively defend its
investments in technology against those who violate them, as the
complaint demonstrates IBM has repeatedly done.
About GFGlobalFoundries (GF) is one of the
world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers. GF is redefining
innovation and semiconductor manufacturing by developing and
delivering feature-rich process technology solutions that provide
leadership performance in pervasive high growth markets. GF offers
a unique mix of design, development and fabrication services. With
a talented and diverse workforce and an at-scale manufacturing
footprint spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia, GF is a trusted
technology source to its worldwide customers. For more information,
visit www.gf.com
©GlobalFoundries Inc., GF, GlobalFoundries, the GF logos and
other GF marks are trademarks of GlobalFoundries Inc. or its
subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Forward-looking InformationThis news release
may contain forward-looking statements, which involve risks and
uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
any of these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date hereof. GF undertakes no
obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements to
reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release
or to reflect actual outcomes, unless require by law.
Media contactErica
McGillerica.mcgill@gf.com518-795-5240
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