In a significant legal development for the tech industry, European software giant SAP SE has been sued by supply-chain artificial intelligence firm o9 Solutions Inc. for alleged theft of trade secrets. The lawsuit, filed in a Dallas federal court, claims that three former o9 executives systematically stole confidential information to benefit SAP.
The Core Allegations: A Campaign to Steal Secrets
According to the complaint filed on Tuesday, o9 Solutions alleges that SAP launched an "aggressive campaign" to target its proprietary technology. The stolen trade secrets are said to concern the critical aspects of o9's supply-chain management software, including its design, implementation, and testing processes.
The legal filing states that SAP, a longtime market leader, was losing customers in the business-planning software sector due to its outdated platform. o9 claims that this competitive pressure led SAP to seek an unfair advantage by allegedly misappropriating its intellectual property. Since the documents were reportedly stolen, o9 claims SAP has altered its own software to closely mirror the startup's innovative offerings.
The Key Players: Executives in the Spotlight
The lawsuit names three former o9 executives, all based in the Netherlands, as defendants alongside SAP. o9 alleges these individuals participated in the theft by downloading tens of thousands of confidential documents. The company claims all three were in communication with SAP employees about these documents before they left o9.
The executives named are:
- Stephan de Barse, o9’s former chief revenue officer, who is now president of SAP’s global business suite.
- Sean Zonneveld, former o9 Global Senior Vice President, now global chief revenue officer for procurement at SAP.
- Stijn-Pieter van Houten, a former o9 senior vice president, now SAP’s chief product officer for supply chain management planning.
A representative for SAP has officially declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit.
Standing Up for Innovation and Fair Play
Lawyers for o9 Solutions emphasized that the company respects fair competition and the right of employees to move between companies. However, they drew a hard line at the alleged theft of trade secrets.
"However, o9 cannot — and will not — allow its trade secrets to be misappropriated," they stated in the suit. They argued that such theft "fundamentally undermines the substantial investments" that o9 has made in research and development to create transformative solutions for its clients.
This case highlights the intense competition and high stakes in the supply-chain AI and business-planning software market. o9 Solutions, backed by major firms like KKR & Co. and General Atlantic, achieved a valuation of $3.7 billion in 2023. The outcome of this legal battle could have significant repercussions for how intellectual property is protected in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.
The case is officially recorded as o9 Solutions v. SAP SE, 25-cv-03245, in the US District Court, Northern District of Texas (Dallas).
