Wireless chip maker Broadcom has accused start-up MagiComm Technology Inc. of engaging in "a well-orchestrated, international scheme to steal from Broadcom trade secrets" - allegations MagiComm's legal representative described as "fallacious and inflammatory".

Broadcom has launched legal action against three current and four former employees it claims attempted to pilfer Broadcom technology to fuel MagiComm's product development efforts, the Associated Press reports.

As evidence, Broadcom claims to possess a number of emails sent from MagiComm to a Broadcom employee. The emails, it says, attempt to persuade the employee to send its chip designs to the start-up.

However, Li's lawyer, Brad Blocker, told AP that Broadcom had got it wrong. MagiComm is not in the business to competing with Broadcom, he said, but to design mobile phone handsets based on Broadcom's technology.

All seven individuals cited in Broadcom's lawsuit joined the company in 2002 when it acquired Mobilink Telecom for $258m. Mobilink was bought to kick-start Broadcom's own entry into the mobile phone chip market. ®

Related stories

Broadcom nicks Philips boss
Broadcom reveals 'VoIP over Wi-Fi' chipset
Broadcom simplifies Wi-Fi security set-up
Broadcom acquires Sand Video
Toshiba takes Hynix to task in patent clash
Graphics patent holder sues Sony, MS, Nintendo
LG, Matsushita trade lawsuits in PDP patent clash
Lexmark suffers setback in DMCA case
Nvidia accused of patent violation
Cornice countersues Western Digital