Fitbit Inc. was cleared of accusations that it stole trade secrets from rival Jawbone Inc. on Tuesday. “No party has been shown to have misappropriated any trade secret,” U.S. International Trade Commission Judge Dee Lord said in her finding. If Fitbit had been found guilty, the ITC could have banned U.S. imports of its fitness trackers. The verdict is still subject to review by the commission, and a final decision is expected in December. “Jawbone’s allegations were utterly without merit and nothing more than a desperate attempt by Jawbone to disrupt Fitbit’s momentum to compensate for their own lack of success in the market,” Fitbit co-founder and CEO James Park said in a statement. Jawbone hasn’t given up yet, saying in a statement it will ask for a full review of the ruling and “is confident it will prevail.” Jawbone is also pursuing a separate trade-secrets case against Fitbit in California state court.
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