US court trims Joby's trade-secret case against Archer Aviation
ACHR•A California federal court dismissed some of Joby Aero's trade-secret and contract claims against Archer Aviation, along with Archer's counterclaims. The court issued its ruling on September 29.
1. Court narrows claims
Archer Aviation said a California federal court dismissed some of Joby Aero's trade-secret and contract claims against it, as well as Archer's counterclaims. The Northern District of California issued the ruling on September 29, in ongoing litigation between the two air-taxi makers.
2. Joby's allegations
Joby sued Archer in 2025, alleging former employee George Kivork took confidential information about business strategies, partnership terms and aircraft specifications before joining Archer. The lawsuit said a forensic investigation found Kivork sent dozens of Joby files to a personal email account and changed security permissions on hundreds more to access them after leaving Joby. Joby also alleged Archer misused trade secrets to undercut an agreement with a real-estate developer, and sought unspecified monetary damages and an order barring Archer from using the information.
