Robotics Firm Claims Engineer Took Trade Secrets to Rival

Robotics company Fortna Systems Inc. sued its former chief robotics engineer accusing him of copying trade secrets while “secretly” accepting a job offer at a competitor.

Fortna said Madhav Patil, a “key, trusted, and well-compensated leader” of its engineering team, resigned from the company in late July after agreeing to leave for competitor Mujin Corp., according to a complaint filed Monday in the US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.

Patil “copied files containing FORTNA’s confidential information and trade secrets onto an external device” that he then “kept while employed by Mujin,” Fortna said.

Fortna and Mujin make ...