Ashton-Tate sued some former employees.

The software developer accused its former chief scientist and five others of stealing trade secrets by using proprietary technology at other companies after leaving employment at Ashton-Tate. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, names six people including Wayne Rateliff, former chief scientist who pioneered the company’s successful dBase family of products. The suit is the latest instance of Ashton-Tate’s vigilance against what it believes to be theft of its intellectual property.