Two former Google engineers and a third alleged accomplice are facing federal charges after prosecutors accused them of swiping sensitive chip and security technology secrets and then trying to cover their tracks when the scheme began to unravel. According to the Department of Justice, sisters Samaneh and Soroor Ghandali, both former Google employees, along with Mohammadjavad Khosravi, who worked at another unnamed technology company, have been charged with conspiracy, theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice.
Applied Predictive Technologies, Inc. v. MarketDial, Inc., No. 24-1751 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 28, 2026) (nonprecedential). This is a reality of trade secret litigation today - plaintiffs must explain the bounds of their alleged trade secrets both with clarity and supporting evidence showing that the specific information derives independent economic value from not being generally known or readily ascertainable by proper means.
January: the season of fresh starts-when we swear we'll finally hit the gym, drink more water, and unearth last year's journal from beneath a mountain of good intentions. Maybe, just maybe, we'll put down our phones long enough to soak up some actual daylight. In the business world, January offers the perfect opportunity for a different kind of resolution: the one that keeps your competitors from getting their hands on your secret sauce or eggnog recipe (or any other trade secret) all year long.
The lawsuits, which centered on claims that two employees stole trade secrets from one rival and passed them on to another, rocked the alternative data world. These firms have grown in scale and revenue as hedge funds and asset managers use their datasets to find differentiated intel to inform bets. Yet, it remains a relatively small industry where everyone knows everyone.
NetApp has filed a federal lawsuit against former Chief Technology Officer Jón Thorgrímur Stefánsson. The company alleges that during his employment, he used confidential information to establish a competing startup, which was acquired by rival VAST Data shortly after his departure. According to NetApp, the fact that VAST Data bought the startup Red Stapler shortly after its founding does not change the fact that VAST is not accused of involvement. The claims focus exclusively on the actions of Stefánsson and a few former colleagues.
Eight days before his employment was to end, Luo allegedly hooked up an external hard drive to his Intel laptop, but when he tried to download a file, the company's internal controls blocked the transfer, the lawsuit claimed. Five days later, the lawsuit alleged, Luo deployed a different technology, a more sophisticated gadget that resembles a small computer server, called a network storage device.
Eight days before his employment was to end, Luo allegedly hooked up an external hard drive to his Intel laptop, but when he tried to download a file, the company's internal controls blocked the transfer, the lawsuit claimed. Five days later, the lawsuit alleged, Luo deployed a different technology, a more sophisticated gadget that resembles a small computer server, called a network storage device.
NEXA claims the group used confidential information from its internal Mortgage Academy training program to benefit Platinum One Lending, a Michigan-based competitor in which Grella holds an ownership interest. NEXA also accuses Grella and Platinum One of encouraging Wake's breaches and working with her to recruit NEXA's staff to harm the company. The company calls this a civil conspiracy. The amendment builds upon the May 2025 filing.
Congress enacted the CFAA in 1986 as a criminal law statute in response to the nascent issue of computer "hacking." 18 U.S.C. § 1030. The private cause of action was added a decade later. The Act prohibits unauthorized access or access that exceeds authorized access to computers. The CFAA defines "exceeds authorized access" as accessing "a computer with authorization and [using] such access to obtain . . . information in the computer that the accesser is not entitled to obtain," while leaving "unauthorized access" undefined.
