AMD accuses former executives for stealing secrets before joining NVIDIA

News hit the wire that AMD filed a request for immediate injunctive relief against four former high-ranking employees that it alleges stole over 100,000 company documents before joining rival NVIDIA and violated a "no-solicitation of employees" agreement.

In the complaint, AMD states that Robert Feldstein, the company's former vice president of strategic development, and managers Manoo Desai and Nicolas Kociuk transferred sensitive company documents to external hard drives in the six months leading up to their departure. The three men and manager Richard Hagen are also accused of recruiting AMD employees after joining NVIDIA, despite a "no-solicitation of employees" agreement with AMD. Further details can be read at The Verge.

In its complaint, AMD claims that both Feldstein and Hagen recruited Desai, who then brought Kociuk "and perhaps additional AMD employees" to the rival chipmaker. AMD also claims to have forensically analyzed their computers, finding that, prior to their departure, they transferred "obviously confidential, proprietary, and/or trade secret materials relating to developing technology and/or highly confidential business strategy" to external drives. The specific content of these materials remains unclear, though the company said they included "two licensing agreements with significant customers, and a document outlining proposed strategies to AMD's strategic licensing." Transferring these materials to Nvidia, the complaint says, would "provide an unfair advantage if improperly used or disclosed."