Cognizant info is online, we didn't steal it, says Infosys

Cognizant's definition of trade secrets quite broad, co ambiguous in identifying them: Infy

- Jas Bardia

Infosys Ltd has denied Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.'s allegations of stealing its trade secrets, stating that a cursory internet search reveals information about the latter's healthcare solutions, prompting a US court to ask Cognizant to disclose the nature of its trade secrets.

Infosys, in a motion filed earlier in January, argued that Cognizant's definition of trade secrets was quite broad and publicly known.

"It (Cognizant) instead relies on vague and overbroad definitions of 'Trade Secret and Confidential Information' that identify every aspect of two-decade-old software products, QNXT and Facets, and everything related to them as the purported trade secrets of Cognizant that were allegedly misappropriated by Infosys. That is wrong, both factually and legally," the Bengaluru-based information technology (IT) services firm said in the motion.

It added: "A cursory internet search reveals public information about these software applications, and an enormous number of healthcare, insurance, and IT services workers have access to QNXT and Facets."

Infosys moved a Dallas court on 17 January, seeking to compel Cognizant to properly identify its trade secrets that it alleged Infosys had misappropriated.