Apple and Rivos, a startup based in Mountain View, are said to have reached a possible settlement after months of legal battles. The tech giant accused Rivos of poaching its employees and stealing trade secrets, leading to a lawsuit that has now potentially been resolved.
According to a filing made to the US District Court for the Northern District of California, the agreement has the potential to bring an end to the case between Apple and Rivos. As part of the deal, Apple would be granted permission to conduct a forensic examination of Rivos’ systems and activities.
The dispute began when Apple alleged that Rivos had orchestrated a campaign to lure away its chip design division employees. Apple further claimed that the startup had instructed these employees to steal sensitive information related to unreleased iPhone chip designs, which would have had significant development costs.
In response to Apple’s lawsuit, Rivos countersued, accusing the tech giant of imposing restrictions on employees’ ability to seek employment elsewhere. They also claimed that Apple’s actions had hindered the growth of emerging startups through anticompetitive measures.
Although the court dismissed Apple’s claims of trade secret theft against Rivos in April 2023, the company was allowed the opportunity to file a revised complaint. It has since settled with its six former employees who had filed a countersuit alongside Rivos. As part of the settlement, both parties dropped their claims against each other.
Now, Apple and Rivos are seeking to temporarily suspend their respective cases until March 15, when they anticipate finalizing the settlement. This potential resolution could bring an end to the legal wrangling between the two companies and allow them to focus on their respective businesses going forward.
The Puck Drop will continue to monitor this case closely and provide updates as the settlement progresses.
