Sophos and Fortinet settle legal battle

Sophos agrees to make Fortinet a one-off payment as part of the settlement

Sophos and Fortinet have agreed to settle their long-standing legal dispute, with the former agreeing to pay Fortinet a one-off payment.

The feud between the pair of security vendors dates back to 2013 when Fortinet filed a lawsuit against Sophos, alleging it had been poaching staff and was in breach of contract and patent agreements.

This followed Mike Valentine moving from Fortinet to run Sophos' global sales in 2013. He then brought Kendra Krause from Fortinet to lead Sophos' North American channel.

But now an agreement has been reached, with Sophos releasing a statement on the London Stock Exchange today.

"Sophos Group and Fortinet have signed a settlement in respect of all outstanding litigation, including respective patent claims the parties had asserted against each other," the statement said. "The settlement was reached through mediation and neither party admitted any liability. In connection with the settlement, Sophos has agreed to make a one-time payment to Fortinet."