Infosys has escalated its legal battle with Cognizant by filing a counter-lawsuit in a US court. The lawsuit accuses the Nasadq-listed Cognizant and its CEO, Ravi Kumar, of engaging in anti-competitive practices and misusing sensitive information to undermine Infosys Helix, its flagship healthcare platform. The allegations were reported by Moneycontrol and mark a significant development in the ongoing corporate tussle.
Filed on January 10 in the Northern District of Texas, the lawsuit comes months after Cognizant’s subsidiary, Cognizant TriZetto, accused Infosys of stealing trade secrets related to its healthcare insurance software. Infosys, which had firmly denied those allegations, reiterated its intent to vigorously defend its position. The counterclaim not only refutes Cognizant’s accusations but also levels serious charges of monopolistic practices against its rival.
Infosys is seeking a jury trial and has requested the court to declare Cognizant’s non-disclosure and access agreements (NDAAs) invalid and unenforceable. The company is also pursuing damages three times the alleged financial losses, along with reimbursement for attorneys’ fees and related costs.
When contacted by FE, an Infosys spokesperson said that the company is in the silent period ahead of its Q3 earnings.
The counterclaim underscores escalating tensions between the two IT giants amid challenging times for the sector, with a slowdown in discretionary spending in key markets. Cognizant’s initial lawsuit, filed in August 2024, alleged that Infosys unlawfully accessed data from its TriZetto software – including Facets and QNXT – to develop a competing healthcare insurance offering. These software platforms are widely used to streamline processes for healthcare insurance companies. Cognizant also claimed Infosys created tools to extract data from QNXT unlawfully.
During the same period, Cognizant was in news by appointing former Infosys executive Rajesh Varrier as its global head of operations and India chairman and managing director. This followed the resignation of Rajesh Nambiar, who left Cognizant to become the president of Nasscom. Cognizant’s CEO, Ravi Kumar, also previously held prominent roles at Infosys, including president and deputy COO. Infosys had earlier raised concerns about Cognizant’s recruitment of its key personnel, highlighting the competitive intensity between the companies.
In its counterclaim, Infosys has accused Cognizant of attempting to stifle competition by leveraging monopolistic tactics. The allegations include imposing restrictive contractual obligations, barring Infosys from participating in training programmes, and obstructing the development of competing software products by creating entry barriers. Furthermore, Infosys claims that these practices have limited customer access to competitive pricing and innovative solutions within the US healthcare system.
The legal battle underscores the fierce rivalry between Infosys and Cognizant as both companies vie for dominance in the lucrative IT and healthcare sectors.