Judge: Papermaster Could Cause Irreparable Damage to IBM

According to court documents recently unsealed, the judge presiding over the IBM versus Papermaster lawsuit banned the latter party from working at Apple because he felt it would result in irreparable damage for IBM.

At the time of ruling there was plenty of information floating around as to why Papermaster felt he should be allowed to take up his position at the Cupertino company, however the same could not be said for Judge Kenneth Karas, who ordered Papermaster to step back from his position at Apple until further notice.

ComputerWorld reports that Karas ordered Papermaster to leave the company just because he might cause "irreparable harm" to IBM. The judge explained why he felt the temporary injunction was justified in recently unsealed documents.

“Because Mr. Papermaster has been inculcated with some of IBM’s most sensitive and closely guarded technical and strategic secrets, it is no great leap for the Court to find that Plaintiff has met its burden of showing a likelihood of irreparable harm."

The opinion throws off Mr. Papermaster’s own claims that Apple and IBM are not competing companies. Judge Karas said that Papermaster is likely to draw on his 20-plus years of experience from IBM while working at Apple to make sure the iPhone and iPod are are fitted with the best possible microprocessor technology and at a lower cost.

Read the full story on ComputerWorld.