Duracell Faces BASF Battery Trade Secret Lawsuit

Prominent battery manufacturer Duracell has recently suffered a setback in a trade secret lawsuit. According to foreign reports, Judge Gregory Williams of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware formally signed an order in late April denying Duracell’s motion to dismiss. This means that the company, controlled by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, must continue to face the lawsuit filed by German chemical giant BASF alleging theft of lithium battery technology secrets.

The legal dispute dates back to early April 2025, when BASF filed a heavily redacted complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, directly accusing Duracell of improper business conduct.

As one of the world’s largest chemical companies, BASF has invested significant funds and years of research and development in the field of key materials for lithium-ion batteries, seeking to develop a proprietary, low-cost manufacturing process for producing high-performance cathode materials. During the existence of a cooperation agreement between the parties, BASF, based on trust, shared certain technical details with Duracell. However, BASF alleged in its complaint that Duracell breached its confidentiality obligations, not only misappropriating these trade secrets but also disclosing relevant details to third parties and arranging production under the guise of independent research and development.

BASF stated that Duracell’s actions “excluded BASF from its role as developer and supplier,” causing substantial and incalculable harm and economic loss to the company.

Faced with these allegations, Duracell attempted to seek a quick exit through legal means. According to reports from media outlets including X in the United States, Duracell’s legal team filed a motion during the proceedings seeking to persuade the judge to dismiss BASF’s lawsuit. However, after review, Judge Gregory Williams, who is presiding over the case, issued a ruling in late April, decisively denying Duracell’s motion to dismiss.

This ruling is a key milestone, indicating that the court has preliminarily determined that BASF’s allegations have legal and factual support, and the case will now proceed to the discovery phase and substantive hearings. For BASF, this is a crucial victory, paving the way for subsequent claims against Duracell. As of now, Duracell has not yet made a public response to the judge’s latest ruling.