Indiana

A big, big trade secrets trial is set to begin in Atlanta federal court this week, reports the Fulton County Daily Report. Lockheed Martin, the largest defense contractor in the world, is seeking $689 million in compensatory and punitive damages from America's sixth-largest defense contractor, L-3 Communications, and its subsidiary L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to Lockheed's line of marine patrol, antisubmarine aircraft.

Lockheed sued four years ago after it lost to L-3 in the bidding for a $427 million contract with the government of South Korea to refurbish eight of these Lockheed antisubmarine planes. Lockheed alleged that L-3 illegally took proprietary information about its planes to get the work.