http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/Sep 20th 2007 11:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/Sep 20th 2007 11:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/Sep 20th 2007 12:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/Sep 20th 2007 12:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.xconomy.com/2007/09/20/us-government-weighs-in-against-irobot-bid-for-injuntiion-against-rival-firm/

One more update will happen today when the judge rules on the injunction.]]>Sep 20th 2007 12:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/Sep 20th 2007 2:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/
sure, it could be used to destroy important data, but most people have these things, i have two shredders, one can handle discs, does that mean i'm shredding pirated DVDs? no it does not.

There really isn't much to be obtained from a shredder anyway, it doesn't have a memory or anything like that.

As for a device designed to bleach hard drives... well thats kinda incriminating there... i don't understand whats wrong with a t8... works just as good ;)]]>Sep 20th 2007 12:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/
It's like tossing a beer bottle out of your car window. On a normal day, that's littering. If you do it while a cop is pursuing you, however, it's more likely that you're ditching evidence.]]>Sep 20th 2007 1:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/
Being in litigation does not mean business stops, and destruction of sensitive business materials is a necessary internal control in every corporation, especially when disposing of private information about the employees (printouts with SSNs, addresses, etc.) And, if they did win a contract with the federal govn't, as a poster above noted, and portions of their work is classified, then shredding and proper disposal is mandatory.

It is also normal for companies to closely examine the competition. It would not surprise me in the least if MS and Apple both had huge repositories of information on each other. In fact, the absence of this would be the real surprise.]]>Sep 20th 2007 2:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/
But you're right. I'm sure they were just using the shredder to prevent identity theft of their personal CC receipts.]]>Sep 20th 2007 2:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/
After what I read its obvious to me that this is a clear cut case of industrial espionage and in disregard of court order to the contrary, RobotFX and it's founders willingly destroyed evidence in the court case.

It's simple really, after being ordered not to destroy evidence, communications or anything else, the founders of RobotFX:

1. Bought a shredder.
2. Bought hard-drive erasing software.
3. Disposed of items that were labled as iRobot property in a private dumpster they didn't have legal right to use. This included destroying a video tape labeled as belonging to iRobot completely and disposing of the leftovers, disposed of circuit boards inside an iRobot box and erased a laptop harddrive.

The circumstantial evidence weighs in and says the founders are engaged in destruction of evidence and should be sanctioned by the court as such, including adverse instructions to the jury for destruction of evidence. ]]>Sep 20th 2007 3:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/Sep 20th 2007 4:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/
I think the deal went to FX because the government likes to support small companies. 2 companies with similar machines, one is a huge corporation, the other is not. There may have been price differences as well.

Either way this goes, hopefully the people who need the robots, our guys in combat, don't have to suffer delays, etc.]]>Sep 20th 2007 1:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/Sep 20th 2007 1:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/
Aren't magnets and microwaves common household items?]]>Sep 20th 2007 1:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/
You need some EXTREME BIG magnet to destroy a harddrive. Even there it will not work.

The microware is the way to go with the CD and DVD.

For harddrive, well you take it appart and grind it until you have dust.
Even erasing it won't cut it, special compagny will be able to recover data out of them. They take appart the harddrive and take only the metal disk and analyse it.]]>Sep 20th 2007 7:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/Sep 20th 2007 2:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/intrigue-ensues-in-irobot-vs-robot-fx-case/]]>Sep 21st 2007 10:20AM