San Francisco - A federal judge has ordered Apple's (NASD: AAPL) new head of engineering for its iPhone and iPod teams, Mark Papermaster, to cease working for the company while the court examines whether his employment at Apple violates a competition clause in the contract with his former employer, IBM, Reuters reports.

"We will comply with the court's order but are confident that Mark Papermaster will be able to ultimately join Apple when the dust settles," an Apple spokesperson told Reuters on Friday.

Papermaster's attorneys argued before Federal District Court Judge Kenneth Karas in New York that IBM's enforcement of the non-compete clause "would be incredibly damaging to [Papermaster's] career."

Papermaster had previously worked at IBM for 25 years; his attorneys said he would not be able to return to the company, given the litigation.

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