(Seoul=Yonhap Infomax) Jang Won Lee Senior Reporter = Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY) has filed a lawsuit against rival Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR), alleging corporate espionage.


According to CNBC on the 20th (US local time), Joby Aviation claimed in a complaint filed with the Superior Court of Santa Cruz County, California, on the 19th that its former employee, George Kibork, downloaded dozens of confidential files and sent some of the contents to his personal email just two days before joining Archer in July.


Joby characterized these actions as deliberate and premeditated corporate espionage.


The complaint further alleges that in August, one month after Kibork joined Archer, a real estate development firm that had previously worked with Kibork notified Joby Aviation that it had received a more favorable offer from Archer. Joby contends that Archer leveraged highly confidential details in negotiations, ultimately leading the developer to seek termination of its contract with Joby on the grounds of a confidentiality breach.


Archer Aviation has dismissed the lawsuit as "baseless," arguing that leading competitor Joby is attempting to slow Archer's growth.


jang73@yna.co.kr


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