Alphabet Inc’s self-driving car unit Waymo has sought the proceedings in a trade secrets trial case Uber to be delayed in light of the critical new evidence it has recently obtained. The case is set to go to trial next month for which the jury selection process in San Francisco federal court is slated to begin on Oct 10. Seeking delay in the trial initiation, Waymo stated that it needed more time to investigate fresh details pertaining to the case that has emerged only recently.
The lawsuit dates back to February 2017, when Waymo claimed that its former engineer Anthony Levandowski accessed and downloaded over 14,000 confidential files before leaving the company. Levandowski then went on to set up his own self-driving truck unit that was acquired by Uber soon after being floated. Uber, for its part, has denied using Waymo’s trade secrets.
Ever since the case came to light, Waymo has been pushing to obtain a 2016 diligence report completed by Uber before taking over Levandowski’s company, in the hope that the document would bring to light when and how much Uber knew about Levandowski’s ‘unethical downloads’. Last week, a federal appeals court directed Uber to disclose the said diligence report.
Pushing for a delay in commencement of trial, Waymo filed a fresh court appeal last Saturday, along with relevant portions of the diligence report for reference. However, the details of the report have not been shared in the public domain, considering its criticality for a fair trial. Uber has not made a statement or clarified its stance over Waymo’s latest appeal.
In its appeal, Waymo also said there was a need for additional depositions, including that of Uber’s ex-CEO Travis Kalanick as well as Levandowski, to make sense of the diligence report and other relevant files that have been shared with the company.
The Lawsuit
In an explosive lawsuit that made headlines late February, Waymo alleged that Levandowski, who is currently vice-president at Uber, stole 14,000 – or 9.7 GB of data – before leaving the folds of the company. According to the company, the ‘stolen data’ comprised trade secrets, patents, and proprietary LIDAR system. Waymo also maintains that Levandowski used these stolen documents to entice Uber to take over his self-driving truck startup, Otto, for a whopping $680 million just six months after it was launched in 2016.
Uber dismissed the allegation as baseless, hinging its argument on a contract clause with Levandowski that stated that any future cases between Uber and Levandowski’s former employer be settled in arbitration. However, Uber’s stance was struck down in the court of law, when the judge noted that Wayo was well within the law in pursuing the case outside arbitration.
The case has pitted the two companies looking to dominate the realm of self-driving vehicles against each other. Even as they battle it out in a court, Waymo’s parent company Alphabet Inc is exploring the possibility of an investment from Lyft Inc, with an aim to battle arch-rival Uber for market share.
Source: Reuters
