Major technology company, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, has been granted the opportunity to argue in Texas’ federal court against patent infringement claims filed by two of its former intellectual property attorneys. As reported by Bloomberg Law, the company alleges their misconduct in dealing with confidential information is a strong enough reason to keep the case from being heard by a jury.
The legal dispute centers on the alleged sharing of Samsung’s private information by their ex-employees’ new firm, Synergy IP. The underlining arguments, known as ‘unclean hands’, will be presented by Samsung and the plaintiff, Staton Techiya LLC, to Judge Rodney Gilstrap of the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Texas on March 26.
After the companies lay out their respective ‘unclean hands’ arguments, Judge Gilstrap will decide whether the conduct of the former in-house lawyers is severe enough to warrant dismissing the patent infringement case.
This case serves as an important reminder for corporations and firms about the careful handling of confidential information and the potential legal complications that can follow improper conduct by employees, even after they have left the firm. In the interest of fairness and integrity, it will be crucial for Judge Gilstrap to carefully consider both parties’ arguments.