Spring Design files lawsuit over Barnes & Noble’s new Nook e-reader

Spring Design sues Barnes & Noble over e-reader

NEW YORK — Technology company Spring Design said Tuesday it filed a lawsuit against Barnes & Noble alleging it misappropriated trade secrets and violated a nondisclosure agreement when it launched its electronic reader Nook last month.

Spring Design said Nook’s features are too close to its Alex e-reader. Both devices feature two screens and run on Google’s Android operating system.

Spring Design, based in Cupertino, Calif., said it had been in talks with Barnes & Noble about confidential information related to Alex’s features since the beginning of 2009 within a nondisclosure agreement.

Barnes & Noble, based in New York, said it does not comment on litigation as a matter of policy.

Its shares rose 4 cents to $16.69 during afternoon trading.