Construction information provider Reed Construction Data (RCD), US, a division of Reed Business Information, has announced that McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge (MHC), a unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. has admitted to some of the most serious allegations made in RCD's 2009 federal lawsuit. In the lawsuit, RCD alleged that Dodge unlawfully misappropriated RCD's confidential and trade secret information and used that information in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage.
The lawsuit, filed Oct. 8, 2009, in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, charged that Dodge since 2002 used a series of fake companies to pose as RCD customers and gain unlawful access to RCD's confidential construction project information database.
In documents filed in federal court on Oct. 22, 2010, McGraw-Hill admitted that it paid third parties to access RCD confidential and trade secret information, data reserved for RCD's paying clients. McGraw-Hill also admitted that it used this access to share RCD's confidential information with its sales force. RCD's lawsuit alleges that MHC's ultimate goal in conducting these activities was to gain an unfair advantage in the marketplace.
The RCD suit seeks an unspecified amount in lost profits and punitive damages, trial by jury, and injunctive relief as a result of McGraw-Hill's misuse of RCD's proprietary construction project information.
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