Atlas Power Technologies Inc., a British Columbia-based energy company, has filed a lawsuit against its director and several associated companies for allegedly misappropriating trade secrets related to innovative energy storage technology. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina on December 2, 2025, targeting Sidney W. Hinton and his controlled entities: Utility Innovation Holdings, Inc., Utility Innovation Group, LLC, and GridSure, LLC.
The lawsuit accuses Hinton of abusing his position as a director at Atlas to secretly transfer proprietary technology developed by Atlas for managing electrical power systems in AI data centers to his own businesses. This technology, known as the Energy Storage Control System, is designed to stabilize power fluctuations in AI data centers. Atlas claims that Hinton formed a partnership with their primary hardware supplier to launch a product using this misappropriated technology by the end of 2025. The plaintiff alleges that this act poses an existential threat to their business and violates multiple laws including the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 and the North Carolina Trade Secrets Protection Act.
Atlas is seeking both preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent further use or disclosure of their trade secrets by Hinton and his companies. They are also demanding monetary damages for the breach of fiduciary duties under British Columbian law. The complaint highlights that without court intervention, Atlas will lose its competitive edge as a first mover in solving AI data center power fluctuation issues.
The legal team representing Atlas includes attorneys from Blank Rome LLP—Caroline P. Donelan, Bradley L. Henry, Lisa M. Coyle—and McGuireWoods LLP—Jodie Herrmann Lawson and H. Brent McKnight Jr. The case is identified under Case ID 5:25-cv-00783-M.
Source: 525cv00783_Atlas_Power_Technologies_Inc_v_Hinton_Complaint_Eastern_District_North_Carolina.pdf
