The lawsuit that Waymo/Google/Alphabet filed against Uber last year—alleging the theft of trade secrets relating to the company’s LiDAR tech for use in self-driving vehicles—has now ended, following a settlement.
Uber execs have reportedly agreed to pay Waymo US$245 million (via shares of its stock) in order to bring the lawsuit to a close—with the announcement coming just before the fifth day of testimony was set to begin on Friday, February 9, in San Francisco.
Uber has also agreed not to incorporate Waymo’s confidential information into its hardware and software, though Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi writes in a statement that he doesn’t believe his company used any of Waymo’s trade secrets in the first place.
A source familiar with the matter tells CNBC that Uber approached Waymo with a settlement offer within a week before the trial started.
The case started in February 2017 when Waymo accused Uber of using at least eight Waymo trade secrets in its self-driving cars. Waymo said that when Uber acquired the start-up Otto, founded by star Google engineer Anthony Levandowski, in late 2016, Levandowski brought some 14,000 Google files with him, some of which contained Waymo trade secrets. Uber rebutted that its self-driving sensor designs were unique and that Levandowski’s actions were unrelated to his work at Uber.
Featured News
Trump Nominates Olivia Trusty for FCC Commissioner Role Ahead of Inauguration
Jan 16, 2025 by
CPI
Lawyers Claim eXp’s Settlement Tactics Hurt Antitrust Case Potential
Jan 16, 2025 by
CPI
Amex GBT Pushes Back Against DOJ Lawsuit Over CWT Acquisition
Jan 16, 2025 by
CPI
Belgium Opens Antitrust Probe into AB InBev’s Market Practices
Jan 16, 2025 by
CPI
Tech Groups Sue CFPB Over New Rule on Digital Wallet Oversight
Jan 16, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – CRESSE Insights
Dec 19, 2024 by
CPI
Effective Interoperability in Mobile Ecosystems: EU Competition Law Versus Regulation
Dec 19, 2024 by
Giuseppe Colangelo
The Use of Empirical Evidence in Antitrust: Trends, Challenges, and a Path Forward
Dec 19, 2024 by
Eliana Garces
Some Empirical Evidence on the Role of Presumptions and Evidentiary Standards on Antitrust (Under)Enforcement: Is the EC’s New Communication on Art.102 in the Right Direction?
Dec 19, 2024 by
Yannis Katsoulacos
The EC’s Draft Guidelines on the Application of Article 102 TFEU: An Economic Perspective
Dec 19, 2024 by
Benoit Durand