Epic Systems Data Breach (2005)

In all, Epic alleged that Tata Consultancy employees downloaded 1,687 files containing 6,477 documents. Tata Consultancy contends the documents were user guides and training manuals. But 36 of the files allegedly contained trade secrets. Those files could save Tata Consultancy tens of millions of dollars in improving its own system for electronic health records that it sells in India and plans to sell in other countries in the developing world. Epic doesn't allege that Tata Consultancy stole the so-called source code at the core of the system. That's copyrighted. But some of the documents allegedly stolen outline the design of parts of Epic's system, and that can have more value than the code itself. Epic Systems, a US-based electronics medical records vendor, had accused TCS of stealing documents and other confidential information tied to the software it builds for healthcare companies to manage billing, insurance benefits management and referral services. It said a TCS employee reviewed Epic's intellectual property under the pretence of doing consulting work for Kaiser Permanente, the largest managed health care company in the U.S, and in doing so downloaded Epic's proprietary software to help build a rival system.