RIM sues Motorola over barrier on new hires
updated 10:40 am EST, Wed December 24, 2008
RIM Sues Motorola
Research in Motion today filed a lawsuit against Motorola accusing the latter of blocking employees laid off or otherwise quitting from being hired by the BlackBerry maker. The complaint is the result of fallout between the two following an agreement struck this year to avoid poaching employees and charges Motorola with trying to artificially extend the agreement past a claimed August end date by refusing to let any ex-employees join RIM afterwards.
Motorola had previously sued RIM in September, accusing the company of violating the agreement by trying to recruit its staff.
Illinois-based Motorola has felt compelled to lay off at least 10,000 workers in recent months as the company has seen mounting losses from its ailing cellphone business. The company ultimately hopes to spin off its cellphone business but still has a heavy investment in the venture, which is expected to switch to Android for many of its phones and to focus more on touchscreens.
