Cartier claims that its competitor, Tiffany and Co., stole trade secrets on some of its most exclusive products with the help of a former employee.
The jewellery house Cartier is suing Tiffany and Co. and Megan Marino, a former junior manager at Cartier, in New York state court. According to the complaint, Tiffany hired Ms. Marino in December to work on its fine jewelry collection, which includes pieces priced as high as $10 million.
Cartier described Tiffany’s hiring of Megan Marino as a “desperate attempt to revive its own fine jewellery unit” after it was left in “disarray” following several departures, reflecting Tiffany’s “disturbing culture of misappropriating competitive information”. The latter appeared to blame the employee and reportedly fired her after only five weeks.
Cartier has also accused Tiffany of letting a recently hired former Cartier executive work on a fine jewellery project despite his six-month non-compete agreement. The lawsuit seeks an injunction requiring Tiffany to return and not use the stolen trade secrets, as well as damages.
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Featured photos : © Cartier
