IGEL hit by lawsuit after competitor claims former employees 'leaked trade secrets'
Unicon claims key staff, including a managing director, joined the competitor and leaked confidential company information
Endpoint management vendor Unicon is taking legal action against fellow German firm IGEL Technology over an allegation that former employees leaked company information.
News of the lawsuit first appeared in German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung over the weekend.
Following the report, Unicon has released its own statement.
"The trust of our customers, business partners and employees is a key priority for Unicon," said its CEO Philipp Benkler.
"Therefore, we feel compelled to exhaust all legal options against IGEL Technology and some of its executives after we learned that strictly confidential trade secrets were extensively and systematically stolen from us."
In a statement, the German IT technology company explained that at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021, several employees as well as Unicon's former managing director had left to join its direct competitor IGEL Technology.
Unicon claims this is when there were first indications that confidential company information had been leaked to IGEL Technology.
The group added its suspicion was further substantiated in the following weeks. In February 2021, Unicon filed criminal charges against its former managing director with the public prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe, Germany.
In February 2022, Unicon also filed criminal charges against IGEL Technology.
In the meantime, numerous injunctions have been issued by several courts against Unicon's former managing director as well as against IGEL Technology for violating the Trade Secret Protection Act.
Founded in 2011, and based out of Bremen, Germany, IGEL Technology bills itself as a software company best known for its "next generation edge operating system" purpose-built for secure access to cloud workspaces such as virtual desktop infrastructure and desktop as a service.
IGEL Technology has been contacted for comment.