Houston oil company files intellectual property suit against former deputy general counsel

Every business has trade secrets, and sometimes when an employee leaves a company, they take this important confidential information with them, and as a result pose a potential threat to their former employer. When employees or other parties reveal confidential information or expose trade secrets, it can result in an intellectual property lawsuit. 

Schlumberger Ltd., an oil-services company based in Houston, knows this all too well, as the company has filed an intellectual property misappropriation suit against its former deputy general counsel, Charlotte Rutherford. Rutherford was accused of holding onto Schlumberger's confidential data after she had left her position with the company to join Acacia Research Corp., which accused Schlumberger of infringing on one of its patents in February.

It was alleged that Rutherford, who formerly acted as the manager of intellectual property enforcement for Schlumberger, copied confidential files onto USB drives and hired a company to copy information from her company laptop before leaving her position with Schlumberger. Schlumberger could be damaged if Rutherford exposed their trade secrets, which would be a violation of the contractual confidentiality agreement that Rutherford had with the company.

Matthew Vellla, Acacia's CEO said "The filing against Acacia Research Senior Vice President Charlotte Rutherford by her former employer, Schlumberger Ltd., is without merit and is a bullying tactic in response to a patent infringement action brought against Schlumberger. Schlumberger's allegations are unfounded and we will vigorously defend this baseless action." 

No business can afford to risk losing important trade secrets, and as a case like this illustrates, it's important to have a consultation with an attorney to learn how to keep your confidential business secrets safe. Meeting with an Phoenix, Arizona small business lawyer can give you the knowledge you need to protect your company's intellectual property. 

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