SoftBank sues Rakuten, ex-worker for using leaked 5G technology info
Japanese wireless carrier SoftBank Corp has filed a damages suit against a former employee and rival Rakuten Mobile Inc for illegally using the plaintiff's 5G network technology information leaked by the ex-SoftBank worker.
In the lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court, SoftBank Group Corp's cellular phone service subsidiary is seeking 1 billion yen ($9.1 million) within its alleged damages totaling about 100 billion yen, it said.
SoftBank can be demanding suspension of the utilization of Rakuten's base stations which have allegedly been built predicated on the leaked information and that they be scrapped.
In response to the legal action, Rakuten said it has not confirmed any make use of SoftBank's trade secrets in its internal investigation and can present its views in the upcoming court hearings.
In January, police arrested Kuniaki Aiba, who joined Rakuten Group Inc's wireless unit immediately after leaving SoftBank in December 2019, on suspicion of having transferred data on the plaintiff's 5G technology to his own email account in violation of Japan's unfair competition prevention law.
SoftBank said in a news release that Rakuten once had electronic files containing SoftBank's trade secrets on its server. Rakuten said the files have been abandoned after submitting them to the court and the plaintiff, according to SoftBank.
In September this past year, Rakuten started offering unlimited data services using ultrafast 5G networks for 2,980 yen monthly, much lower than other major cellular phone service operators in Japan amid intensifying competition.
Rakuten entered the wireless market in October 2014 as a virtual mobile network operator, using other mobile phone operators' networks and started full-scale services using its own networks last year.
Source: japantoday.com
