A US court judge has ordered Apple's new iPod and iPhone
hardware head to give up his job, whilst his former employer
IBM fights the appointment.
IBM claims Mark Papermaster is subject to a one-year non-compete
clause in his IBM contract.
The judge hearing the case has agreed that Papermaster could,
theoretically, cause "irreparable harm" to IBM whilst the case is
ongoing.
Papermaster was only days into his new job when the judge
ordered him to leave it until the case is heard.
Papermaster was a driving force in IBM's chip programme. He
claims Apple is not a direct competitor to IBM, but the judge has
disagreed, and says IBM trade secrets could prove useful to
Apple.
For its part, IBM has been forced to hand over a £2m bond to the
court, to cover any damages to Papermaster if it loses the
case.
