A judge has temporarily barred a former Microsoft executive from performing his job at Google, saying Microsoft has a well-grounded fear that leaked trade secrets could hurt its business.

Superior Court Judge Steven Gonzalez granted Microsoft Corp.’s request for a temporary restraining order Thursday to prohibit Kai-Fu Lee from performing any duties at the search giant that are similar to those he performed at Microsoft.

“We needed to take this step to protect our sensitive business information and to ensure that Google and Dr. Lee honor the confidentiality and noncompetition agreements he made when he started working here,” Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake said.

The judge’s ruling will stand until a Sept. 6 hearing, she said.