Motorola blocked job offers to laid-off workers, says RIM

Research In Motion, which makes BlackBerry, sued Motorola over claims that the company is blocking it from offering jobs to laid-off Motorola workers, according to a report.

RIM, in a complaint filed in state court in Chicago, asked for an order invalidating an agreement the companies reached this year not to solicit each other's employees, the agency Bloomberg said.

The agreement expired in August and is no longer enforceable, the agency said, citing the complaint.

Motorola is improperly trying to expand the agreement "to prevent the RIM entities from hiring any Motorola employees, including the thousands of employees Motorola has already fired or will fire," RIM was quoted as saying in the complaint by the agency.

The lawsuit comes three months after Motorola sued RIM in Chicago in violation of the agreement, according to the agency.

In that case, Motorola asked a judge to bar RIM from using Motorola's confidential information or soliciting or hiring any Motorola employees, the agency said.

The agreement is part of a February nondisclosure accord under which the companies agreed to exchange information about a confidential matter, the agency said, citing the complaint.

RIM and Motorola could not be immediately reached for comment.