Nuance Communications has brought an action against Yahoo corporation which is the owner of famous internet search system. Network company was accused of theft of voice recognition secret technology.

Plaintiff reports that Yahoo agents gained over 13 from 14 head Nuance Communications engineers that had an access to secret commerce information.

Judicial representatives of Nuance Communications reported that company demands from St. Clare?s court to forbid Yahoo work on technology which was developed for Nuance. The matter concerns the system which allows telephone owner to enter internet query without keyboard but with own voice. Nuance Communications system recognizes sound waves and matches them with electron base which contains 25 millions of words. The technology was 75% ready when vice-president of Nuance investigation centre Larry Hek asked for promotion and after refusal left the company to Yahoo base in St. Clare. The same month 12 engineers of Hek?s project followed his example and left for Yahoo. Nuance suspects that Yahoo tries to steel its technologies.

Nuance said that this project is so important that Yahoo preferred to entice Nuance?s staff instead of buying the license from Nuance.

This way Yahoo can come to the market of interactive technologies at the same time as Nuance without wasting its money and time.

Yahoo representatives deny all accusations. Corporation announced that Nuance engineers were hired not to steal the technology but to acquire high-professional workers. "If they want to work for yahoo we are not going to stop them, - said Yahoo representative Kerstin Hollers. We are confident in weakness of charges and stand up for our positions".

No matter what will be the result of Nuance and Yahoo lawsuit this struggle will show how IT-companies use illegal methods to acquire talented specialists and to get advantages on market.
sections: World News, Hi-Tech