Uber vs Waymo lawsuit
Waymo is a company owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. It has moved to court to sue Uber for stealing its self-driving technology and trade secrets. The observers of the Uber vs Waymo lawsuit have been captivated because it is among the consequential legal battles that Uber is currently fighting.
Uber vs Waymo lawsuit features the major players in the self-driving car market. The case may lead to creation of a competitive advantage in the industry.
Waymo asserts that the Anthony Levandowski, a former engineer stole several documents that are confidential before he left Google. The documents contain the trade secrets of the company. Anthony founded his self-driving truck company, Otto early 2016. Uber company bought Otto in late 2016 for $680 million.
Waymo company believes that the Uber executives knew about the stolen documents. Waymo claims that Uber used its radar and laser technology known as LiDAR which means Light Detection and Ranging. Uber company denied the allegations of stealing Waymo’s technology.
The trial had been delayed twice until a 37-page letter was submitted in September 2017. The letter asserted that Uber team collected its information about technology like the secret computers and messaging apps for communication without leaving any trail. The letter is known as “Jacob’s letter” It was written by Richard Jacobs, the attorney for the global threat operations.
The letter was obtained by the office of the US Attorney through unrelated investigation. It was given to the presiding judge and was made public in December 2017.
Jacob’s lawyers sent the letter after leaving the company. He claimed that he wanted to become a whistleblower by documenting abuses. Angela Padilla, Uber’s Deputy General Counsel, said it was extortion. The company paid Jacob $4.5 million settlement.
There are several potential witnesses who will stand in court. The jury will determine if Waymo company has the required evidence to prove that Uber stole its trade secrets and technology.
