California federal court trims Joby Aero's trade-secret and contract claims against Archer Aviation

The US District Court for the Northern District of California on September 29 dismissed some of Joby Aero's trade-secret and contract claims against Archer Aviation, along with some of Archer's counterclaims, in ongoing litigation between the two air-taxi makers.

Joby sued Archer in 2025, alleging that a former employee, George Kivork, who led its state and local policy team, took confidential information on business strategies, partnership terms and aircraft specifications before joining the rival company. A forensic investigation cited in the lawsuit found that Kivork had sent dozens of Joby files to a personal email account and altered security permissions on hundreds more to access them after his departure. Joby also alleged that Archer misused the trade secrets to undercut one of Joby's agreements with a real-estate developer.

Archer previously settled separate trade-secret claims brought by Boeing-owned air-taxi developer Wisk in 2023, and filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Vertical Aerospace earlier this year.

This case sits alongside a string of trade-secret and patent disputes among eVTOL developers, including Archer's prior settlement with Wisk and its own infringement suit against Vertical Aerospace, as companies race to commercialize electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

In a capital-intensive, talent-scarce segment backed by automakers, airlines and investors, litigation over departing employees and shared technical ground has become a recurring feature as rivals compete for the same partnerships, suppliers and personnel pools.

Which specific claims survived dismissal on each side, and how the remaining allegations about the real-estate developer agreement proceed, will determine how much of this dispute still goes to trial.