Cartier sues Tiffany for allegedly stealing ‘High Jewelry’ trade secrets

Cartier claims Tiffany & Co. employed an unqualified worker solely to entry confidential data.
Regis Duvignau

Two of the world’s most well-known luxurious jewellery manufacturers are set for a authorized battle – with Cartier submitting swimsuit towards Tiffany & Co. on Monday over claims that its rival stole commerce secrets and techniques a couple of high-end product line by hiring one in every of its former workers.

Filed in New York state court docket, Cartier’s grievance detailed an episode by which Tiffany’s higher administration allegedly sought to handle “disarray” in its high-end jewellery division by hiring one in every of Cartier’s junior managers for a place she was not certified to fill – a transfer the plaintiff mentioned was solely motivated by a need for details about Cartier’s “Excessive Jewellery” assortment.

The grievance alleges that the worker, recognized as Megan Marino, forwarded confidential details about Cartier’s Excessive Jewellery assortment to her private electronic mail days earlier than she resigned from the corporate. After she was employed by Tiffany & Co., Marino purportedly supplied the data to executives at her new employer.

“Plaintiff Cartier has not solely uncovered direct proof of a former worker’s illegal taking of Cartier’s useful confidential data and commerce secrets and techniques, however by way of decided investigation Cartier has additionally opened a window into Tiffany’s disturbing tradition of misappropriating aggressive data,” attorneys for Cartier mentioned in a court docket submitting.

Cartier alleged Tiffany & Co. has a “disturbing tradition of misappropriating aggressive data.”

Bloomberg

In an affidavit connected to the grievance, Marino admitted to forwarding confidential details about Cartier’s operation, together with pricing data and inner shows concerning the Excessive Jewellery assortment, to her private electronic mail. The data was later supplied to her supervisor at Tiffany.

Marino mentioned she obtained a job provide from Tiffany that included “a wage that was about 30% increased than my wage with Cartier, an indication on bonus, and a discretionary bonus alternative, amongst different issues” – regardless of what she described as a “lack of expertise” wanted for the function.

Tiffany fired Marino in February – simply weeks after she began on the firm – after Cartier knowledgeable its rival about her conduct.

Marino added that she believed Tiffany administration was “extra excited by hiring me as a supply of knowledge than as a Excessive Jewellery supervisor.”

Tiffany & Co. has denied wrongdoing in response to the lawsuit.

Gonzalo Fuentes

Cartier is looking for damages, in addition to an injunction requiring Tiffany to chorus from utilizing the confidential data.

“Cartier totally respects the rights of opponents to pursue their business goals. On this case, nonetheless, Tiffany’s business ambition crossed the road between the extraordinary course of enterprise and unfair competitors,” Cartier mentioned in an announcement on the lawsuit.

Tiffany pushed again on the allegations contained within the lawsuit.

“We deny the baseless allegations and can vigorously defend ourselves,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement, based on Reuters.

With Put up wires