HP accuses former exec of stealing its secrets

Hewlett-Packard Co has filed a lawsuit against a former executive over allegations he took trade secrets with him when he went to work for rival Oracle Corp.

The case against Adrian Jones, who was a senior vice-president in HP's server, storage and networking division in Asia, shows the growing rancor between the Silicon Valley technology titans.

HP's and Oracle's decades-long partnership is being strained by growing competition between the companies.

The company said Jones resigned Feb 16, before he was about to be fired for allegedly violating HP's standards.

He is accused in the lawsuit of failing to disclose a "close personal relationship" with a subordinate, and of submitting thousands of dollars in expenses for visiting the subordinate that didn't have a legitimate business purpose.

HP alleged Jones downloaded hundreds of files and thousands of e-mail messages detailing HP's secrets before he quit.

The company, based in Palo Alto, said the lawsuit "seeks to prevent Jones from using the theft of confidential HP documents to place HP in an unfair competitive disadvantage."

A phone number for Jones could not immediately be located.

The HP-Oracle rivalry kicked off with Oracle's US$7.3bil acquisition last year of Sun Microsystems, a server computer seller that competes with HP.

It ratcheted up with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's ridiculing of HP's board in the fall for firing his friend and HP CEO Mark Hurd over inaccurate expense reports.

The rivalry continued with Oracle targeting Hurd's replacement, Leo Apotheker, in a separate court case involving the theft of trade secrets and his former employer, SAP AG.

HP accuses former exec of stealing its secrets

Hewlett-Packard Co has filed a lawsuit against a former executive over allegations he took trade secrets with him when he went to work for rival Oracle Corp.

The case against Adrian Jones, who was a senior vice-president in HP's server, storage and networking division in Asia, shows the growing rancor between the Silicon Valley technology titans.

HP's and Oracle's decades-long partnership is being strained by growing competition between the companies.

The company said Jones resigned Feb 16, before he was about to be fired for allegedly violating HP's standards.

He is accused in the lawsuit of failing to disclose a "close personal relationship" with a subordinate, and of submitting thousands of dollars in expenses for visiting the subordinate that didn't have a legitimate business purpose.

HP alleged Jones downloaded hundreds of files and thousands of e-mail messages detailing HP's secrets before he quit.

The company, based in Palo Alto, said the lawsuit "seeks to prevent Jones from using the theft of confidential HP documents to place HP in an unfair competitive disadvantage."

A phone number for Jones could not immediately be located.

The HP-Oracle rivalry kicked off with Oracle's US$7.3bil acquisition last year of Sun Microsystems, a server computer seller that competes with HP.

It ratcheted up with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's ridiculing of HP's board in the fall for firing his friend and HP CEO Mark Hurd over inaccurate expense reports.

The rivalry continued with Oracle targeting Hurd's replacement, Leo Apotheker, in a separate court case involving the theft of trade secrets and his former employer, SAP AG.

HP accuses former exec of stealing its secrets

Hewlett-Packard Co has filed a lawsuit against a former executive over allegations he took trade secrets with him when he went to work for rival Oracle Corp.

The case against Adrian Jones, who was a senior vice-president in HP's server, storage and networking division in Asia, shows the growing rancor between the Silicon Valley technology titans.

HP's and Oracle's decades-long partnership is being strained by growing competition between the companies.

The company said Jones resigned Feb 16, before he was about to be fired for allegedly violating HP's standards.

He is accused in the lawsuit of failing to disclose a "close personal relationship" with a subordinate, and of submitting thousands of dollars in expenses for visiting the subordinate that didn't have a legitimate business purpose.

HP alleged Jones downloaded hundreds of files and thousands of e-mail messages detailing HP's secrets before he quit.

The company, based in Palo Alto, said the lawsuit "seeks to prevent Jones from using the theft of confidential HP documents to place HP in an unfair competitive disadvantage."

A phone number for Jones could not immediately be located.

The HP-Oracle rivalry kicked off with Oracle's US$7.3bil acquisition last year of Sun Microsystems, a server computer seller that competes with HP.

It ratcheted up with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's ridiculing of HP's board in the fall for firing his friend and HP CEO Mark Hurd over inaccurate expense reports.

The rivalry continued with Oracle targeting Hurd's replacement, Leo Apotheker, in a separate court case involving the theft of trade secrets and his former employer, SAP AG.

Four HP directors step down in wake of Hurd fiasco

SAN FRANCISCO: The Hewlett-Packard Co is overhauling its board of directors as the world's biggest technology company by revenue takes heat for the ouster of former CEO Mark Hurd six months ago.

The shakeup is the first sweeping change under HP's new leadership, which was put in place after Hurd's abrupt resignation this summer tanked HP's shares and triggered lawsuits over the size of his severance payout.

The departure of four directors also marks the first major alteration to the makeup of a board that has been at the centre of several scandals in recent years, including an episode in which HP paid investigators to spy on journalists and board members to ferret out the source of boardroom leaks to the press.

"Four directors going out at once is unusual. Boards should not have this much drama," said Charles Elson, director of the Weinberg Centre for Corporate Governance at University of Delaware.

The current board members who will not stand for re-election at HP's annual meeting in March are Joel Hyatt, John Joyce, Bob Ryan and Lucille Salhany.

Ray Lane, a former Oracle Corp executive who took over as HP's chairman after Hurd was forced out, didn't give a reason for the executives' departures in a statement released after the market closed.

With Hurd gone, HP's leadership now consists of Lane and CEO Leo Apotheker, formerly the CEO of business software maker SAP AG.

The news comes on the same day HP said it would investigate the circumstances of Hurd's departure and severance, in response to a shareholder's demand. The investigation will be conducted by outside lawyers and by board members who joined HP's board after Hurd left, including Apotheker.

Hurd was forced out last year over allegations of sexual harassment and inaccurate expense reports. He received a US$12.2mil cash payout and has filed papers to sell some US$30mil worth of stock that he got by exercising options that were part of his severance.

He agreed to give back US$14mil in restricted stock to HP to squash a courtroom battle over whether he should be allowed to work at HP rival Oracle. Hurd is now co-president at Oracle Corp.

Shareholders are suing HP on claims that Hurd's severance package constituted "corporate waste."

A spokesman for Hurd declined to comment on the investigation.

Hewlett-Packard said in a Jan 14 filing in a federal court in San Jose, California, that the investigation is in response to a shareholder's demand that the company look into Hurd's departure, as well as the decision by the board to approve his generous severance package.

Hurd's resignation is also the subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation. - AP

Four HP directors step down in wake of Hurd fiasco

SAN FRANCISCO: The Hewlett-Packard Co is overhauling its board of directors as the world's biggest technology company by revenue takes heat for the ouster of former CEO Mark Hurd six months ago.

The shakeup is the first sweeping change under HP's new leadership, which was put in place after Hurd's abrupt resignation this summer tanked HP's shares and triggered lawsuits over the size of his severance payout.

The departure of four directors also marks the first major alteration to the makeup of a board that has been at the centre of several scandals in recent years, including an episode in which HP paid investigators to spy on journalists and board members to ferret out the source of boardroom leaks to the press.

"Four directors going out at once is unusual. Boards should not have this much drama," said Charles Elson, director of the Weinberg Centre for Corporate Governance at University of Delaware.

The current board members who will not stand for re-election at HP's annual meeting in March are Joel Hyatt, John Joyce, Bob Ryan and Lucille Salhany.

Ray Lane, a former Oracle Corp executive who took over as HP's chairman after Hurd was forced out, didn't give a reason for the executives' departures in a statement released after the market closed.

With Hurd gone, HP's leadership now consists of Lane and CEO Leo Apotheker, formerly the CEO of business software maker SAP AG.

The news comes on the same day HP said it would investigate the circumstances of Hurd's departure and severance, in response to a shareholder's demand. The investigation will be conducted by outside lawyers and by board members who joined HP's board after Hurd left, including Apotheker.

Hurd was forced out last year over allegations of sexual harassment and inaccurate expense reports. He received a US$12.2mil cash payout and has filed papers to sell some US$30mil worth of stock that he got by exercising options that were part of his severance.

He agreed to give back US$14mil in restricted stock to HP to squash a courtroom battle over whether he should be allowed to work at HP rival Oracle. Hurd is now co-president at Oracle Corp.

Shareholders are suing HP on claims that Hurd's severance package constituted "corporate waste."

A spokesman for Hurd declined to comment on the investigation.

Hewlett-Packard said in a Jan 14 filing in a federal court in San Jose, California, that the investigation is in response to a shareholder's demand that the company look into Hurd's departure, as well as the decision by the board to approve his generous severance package.

Hurd's resignation is also the subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation. - AP

Four HP directors step down in wake of Hurd fiasco

SAN FRANCISCO: The Hewlett-Packard Co is overhauling its board of directors as the world's biggest technology company by revenue takes heat for the ouster of former CEO Mark Hurd six months ago.

The shakeup is the first sweeping change under HP's new leadership, which was put in place after Hurd's abrupt resignation this summer tanked HP's shares and triggered lawsuits over the size of his severance payout.

The departure of four directors also marks the first major alteration to the makeup of a board that has been at the centre of several scandals in recent years, including an episode in which HP paid investigators to spy on journalists and board members to ferret out the source of boardroom leaks to the press.

"Four directors going out at once is unusual. Boards should not have this much drama," said Charles Elson, director of the Weinberg Centre for Corporate Governance at University of Delaware.

The current board members who will not stand for re-election at HP's annual meeting in March are Joel Hyatt, John Joyce, Bob Ryan and Lucille Salhany.

Ray Lane, a former Oracle Corp executive who took over as HP's chairman after Hurd was forced out, didn't give a reason for the executives' departures in a statement released after the market closed.

With Hurd gone, HP's leadership now consists of Lane and CEO Leo Apotheker, formerly the CEO of business software maker SAP AG.

The news comes on the same day HP said it would investigate the circumstances of Hurd's departure and severance, in response to a shareholder's demand. The investigation will be conducted by outside lawyers and by board members who joined HP's board after Hurd left, including Apotheker.

Hurd was forced out last year over allegations of sexual harassment and inaccurate expense reports. He received a US$12.2mil cash payout and has filed papers to sell some US$30mil worth of stock that he got by exercising options that were part of his severance.

He agreed to give back US$14mil in restricted stock to HP to squash a courtroom battle over whether he should be allowed to work at HP rival Oracle. Hurd is now co-president at Oracle Corp.

Shareholders are suing HP on claims that Hurd's severance package constituted "corporate waste."

A spokesman for Hurd declined to comment on the investigation.

Hewlett-Packard said in a Jan 14 filing in a federal court in San Jose, California, that the investigation is in response to a shareholder's demand that the company look into Hurd's departure, as well as the decision by the board to approve his generous severance package.

Hurd's resignation is also the subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation. - AP