Blake Brittain
(Reuters) – Apple (NASDAQ:) plans to settle a lawsuit accusing technology startup Rivos of stealing its trade secrets related to computer chip technology, according to a joint lawsuit filed on Friday in California federal court.
The companies told the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that they have “entered into an agreement that potentially resolves the case” and that the agreement allows Apple to inspect Rivos’ systems and recover any confidential information.
Representatives for Apple and Rivos did not immediately respond to requests for comment or more information about the settlement.
Apple sued “stealth” startup Rivos in 2022. It said Mountain View, California-based Rivos hired dozens of its engineers and used its confidential information to develop competing system-on-a-chip (SoC) technology.
SoCs are integrated circuits that contain multiple computer components on a single chip, including central processing units and graphics processing units. In the lawsuit, Apple said it spent billions of dollars and more than a decade researching its SoC designs and that they “revolutionized the world of personal and mobile computing.”
Rivos denied the allegations and said Apple “sought to punish Rivos and any Apple employees who might try to work there from the moment Apple learned of the promising startup.” Last September, the company filed a countersuit against Apple for unfair competition.
Last month, Apple settled related claims in the case against six former employees who left the company to join Rivos.