Microsoft accuses former exec of theft

Price battle moves to personnel.

Microsoft has accused its former general manager of worldwide Matt Miszewski of stealing 25,000 commercially sensitive documents.

The Redmond giant filed a motion in a Washington State Superior Court last week, alleging that Miszewski held documents that would be highly valued by Microsoft's competitors, including Miszewski's new employer, salesforce.com.

Microsoft accused Miszewski of lying about only having taken personal effects with him when he resigned on 31 December 2010, and alleged he had a 600MB "trove" of its business plans, according to court documents obtained by Computerworld.

The theft accusation followed successful efforts by Microsoft to block Miszewski from fulfilling his new role as salesforce.com's senior vice president of Global Public.

The court granted Microsoft a temporary injunction preventing Miszewski from working at salesforce.com based on a non-compete agreement he signed in 2007.

Salesforce.com announced Miszewski's appointment just days before Microsoft unveiled aggressive prices for its own revamped Dynamics CRM online 2011 platform - a move aimed squarely at competing with salesforce.

The row over Miszewski was the latest of several stoushes that have seen the two online CRM companies head for court.

Last August, prior to any proceedings commencing, the two struck a cross-patent deal to settle suits that each had launched against the other.