We’ve seen trade secrets in fishing gear, coffee lip balm, and NBA strategies, but never on snow bikes…oh, wait…
In 2015, Polaris purchased Timbersled Products Inc., maker of snow bike conversion kits. The kits convert a dirt bike into a snow bike. Allen Mangum was the owner/seller of Timbersled, and was retained by Polaris after the acquisition.
Fast forward to 2020 when Mangum left Polaris to launch competing company MTN.Top Snowbikes. Polaris is accusing Mangum of violating an NDA, a one-year non-compete agreement, and theft of trade secrets.
Polaris sued Mangum, his wife, and MTN. Top in US District Court for the District of Minnesota on March 13, 2023 under the DTSA. Note that DTSA has a 3-year statute of limitations, so the complaint was probably filed right under the wire.
It is still early to see how the court resolves this, or if the parties reach a settlement (license or otherwise).
We at Tangibly always say that every company in the world has trade secrets, even on the slopes!