Apple’s new employee, Mark Papermaster, had to put his work on hold as a result of the decision reached by a New York judge, who demanded that IBM’s former executive cease any activity until the trial is complete.

Mr. Papermaster left IBM after 26 years with the company as he considered Apple’s offer extremely appealing and even though he was called in for negotiations and offered a significant salary increase, there was nothing that managed to change his mind.

The trial is based on a contract signed by the engineer, where he agreed not to join any of the company’s competitors for one year after deciding to leave. The defense is based on Mr. Papermaster’s firm belief that he did nothing wrong, as in his opinion, the two companies are not competitors, each covering different market segments. IBM addressed this statement, saying that it is a competitor against Apple "in the design, manufacture and sale of electronic devices, including servers, personal computers and microprocessors."

For now, Apple decided to remove from its Web site the biography of its future executive for the iPhone and iPod division.

Mr. Papermaster explained that he wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction from IBM’s officials, as their attitude during his two-week notice did not appear to be aggressive. "I was very surprised when IBM filed the present lawsuit against me as the IBM executives gave me no reason to believe that they questioned my integrity when I informed them I would be taking a position at Apple," he stated. He also added that "At no point during any discussion with IBM was I asked to terminate my position immediately. Nor did anyone restrict my access to documents or information, but rather I continued my normal job functions for two weeks after giving notice. No one from IBM watched me clear out my office or escorted me out of the building."