Buffett’s Duracell Sued by BASF Over Lithium Battery Secrets (1)

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s Duracell battery maker was accused by chemical producer BASF SE of stealing trade secrets about lithium ion battery technology.

BASF, the world’s biggest chemical maker by revenue, claims in a lawsuit that Duracell, owned by Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway since 2016 – misappropriated the technology while the companies had a cooperation agreement. Duracell is one of the top-selling battery producers in the US, and lithium ion batteries are used to power electric cars, consumer electronics and energy storage devices.

“Duracell’s misappropriation of BASF’s trade secrets and its breach of the collaboration agreement has caused and will ...