Wal-Mart, Amazon.com Settle Lawsuit
Amazon.com, Seattle, and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Bentonville, AR, are settling a lawsuit charging that the online bookseller hired computer system managers away from Wal-Mart to steal the retailer’s trade secrets, especially those concerning its huge data warehousing system. Wal-Mart is believed to have the largest private database in the country.
The lawsuit was filed by Wal-Mart in January. Amazon.com countersued, saying Wal-Mart was mainly attempting to stop employees from leaving the retail giant.
Under the settlement, Amazon.com will reassign some former Wal-Mart Information Systems employees and vendors to tasks different from their assignments at Wal-Mart. Any Wal-Mart property still in their possession must be returned.
No damages will be paid and neither party must admit to any wrongdoing.
Amazon.com denied that it had “any interest or desire to obtain proprietary information or trade secrets from another company.”
