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CesiumAstroalleges in a newly filed causa that a former executive director disclosed trade mystery and confidential selective information about sensitive tech , investors and customers to a competing inauguration .
Austin - based Cesium develops active - phased regalia and software - specify tuner systems for spacecraft , missiles and drones . While phased - array antenna organization have been used on satellite for decades , Cesium has well advance and productized the tech over its seven years in operation . The inauguration has landed more than $ 100 million in venture and regime backing , which it has used to rise a suite of products for commercial and defense customers .
The engineering is recess : Only a fistful of company sour at the cutting sharpness of space - based radio receiver technology , and Cesium no doubt compensate close attention to any new fledgeling in this field . AnySignal , a startup that came out of stealth last October but was formally incorporated in 2022 , certainly caught the fellowship ’s oculus , not least because it allegedly border out Cesium in a sales dictation to a major customer and by seek to solicit the interest of one of Cesium ’s former investor — both exercise stated in the lawsuit .
According to the suit , file on March 25 , these examples are like a shot related to former VP of Product Erik Luther ’s misappropriation of trade secret and secret information on investors and client , which Cesium say he subsequently disclosed to AnySignal . Notably , Luther did not forget Cesium to make for for AnySignal , instead taking a role as point of marketing at a company that operates in a unlike sector entirely . But the wooing says that Luther maintained “ personal connectedness ” with AnySignal ’s co - founder , having work out with AnySignal CEO John Malsbury previously at a different society .
This resulted in AnySignal “ enrol and inducing Luther … to improperly disclose ” the confidential and trade secret selective information , the suit says . CesiumAstro did not respond to TechCrunch ’s request for comment ; a lawyer representing Luther referred TechCrunch to the March 29 legal filings cited below .
Malsbury said in a statement provide to TechCrunch,“We at AnySignal were disappointed to learn of this filing . As indicate in Erik ’s reaction , he is not , and has never been use by AnySignal . We believe Cesium made these allegations in error . AnySignal is ferment with Cesium to fix the dispute , and , if necessary , we will confidently defend our case in tribunal . In the meantime , AnySignal will continue to prioritize mission winner for our customers . ”
Cesium is clean on its posture in the case : It does not believe that AnySignal could have developed its complex radio engineering on its timeline and with its existing resources — “ wanting CesiumAstro ’s technical diagrams and specifications ( to which Luther had access ) . ”
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“ With only a few employees and $ 5 million in investor funding , [ AnySignal ] would not even be in the same orbit as CesiumAstro , which has spent X of 1000000 of dollar working with ( now ) 170 employee for seven years to develop its technology , ” the lawsuit allege . “ But with Luther ’s help , AnySignal has launch to directly vie with CesiumAstro in the specialised space for software - defined radio . ”
Luther strongly refuse all the allegations in two separate documents filed with the court of law on March 29 ; regarding the claim that he cultivate in concert with AnySignal , he say the allegation is “ not only delusive … but invented out of whole material . ” ( The response also denies Cesium ’s call that it is an “ industriousness leader . ” )
El Segundo - based AnySignal was ground in May 2022 by Malsbury and COO Jeffrey Osborne , and emerge from stealing tout $ 5 million in come funding last year . The company is developing a software - defined receiving set platform ; Cesium ’s lawsuit name it as a “ direct competitor . ” In February , a calendar month before the lawsuit was file away , AnySignal announced it had landed a partnership with private outer space post developer immense for an advanced communicating system for Vast ’s flagship station , Haven-1 .
The suit was file in Western District of Texas under no . 1:24 - cv-314 .
The story has been update to include Malsbury ’s statement .
