Rare Earth Miner MP Materials Sues Rival on Sharing of Tech (2)

Two rare-earth companies that cut deals with the Trump administration are fighting over rare-earth magnet technology as the US tries to overcome the industry’s reliance on China.

MP Materials Corp. alleged that rival USA Rare Earth Inc. stole its proprietary technology through a former employee, according to a lawsuit filed in Texas business court Friday. The lawsuit alleged that a former MP Materials engineer shared proprietary “grain boundary diffusion” formulations with USA Rare Earth, which later disclosed the information to a third-party technology company.

The technology is used for high-performance magnets which are found in electric vehicles, defense ...