Toshiba and SanDisk have separately filed civil lawsuits against South Korean company SK Hynix over claims that the latter stole data related to flash memory technology.
The leak is claimed to have revolved around NAND flash memory developed by Toshiba and SanDisk during their 15-year partnership. SK Hynix, reports Reuters, has said that it has received no litigation as yet and had no comment to make on the matter.
The suits follow the arrest of a former SanDisk engineer suspected of providing technical data to Hynix, which he went on to work for following his stint at the Californian company.
Taking sides
Toshiba has yet to disclose how much it will be seeking in the litigation, but estimated that it had suffered losses of $980 million (around £589 million or AU$1 billion) as a result of the leak. SK Hynix is a business partner of Toshiba, but it is clear on which side the Japanese company stands.
SanDisk too, has not revealed the extent of the reparations it desires, but has filed its suit in Santa Clara Superior Court, California. The company has said that it will be aggressively pursuing all legal options available to it.
A 2004 case also saw Toshiba sue Hynix, seeking damages for breach in flash memory patents, which was settled through a cross-licensing agreement.
