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Waymo v. Uber Jury Trial Begins

posted by martyb on Monday February 05 2018, @05:49PM   Printer-friendly
from the lawyers-will-be-the-only-winners dept.

takyon writes:

The Waymo v. Uber jury trial is set to begin Monday and is expected to end during the week of February 19. It's not a matter of good vs. evil:

"The trial will be a trial on Waymo's claims of trade secret misappropriation, not a trial on Uber's litigation practices or corporate culture," Judge Alsup wrote on January 30.

[...] Alsup went on to say that both sides have engaged in "half-truths and other slick litigation conduct" and that Waymo, which has "whined—often without good reason—at every turn in this case," essentially needs to put up or shut up.

"To repeat, the central issue in this case remains whether or not Uber misappropriated Waymo's trade secrets, not whether or not Uber is an evil corporation," the judge continued. "Waymo's decision to devote so much time and effort to pursuing matters with so little connection to the merits raises the troubling possibility that Waymo is unwilling or unable to prove up a solid case on the merits and instead seeks to inflame the jury against Uber with a litany of supposed bad acts."

Also at The Verge and FT (paywalled).

Previously: Waymo v. Uber Continues, Will Not Move to Arbitration
Waymo's Case Against Uber "Shrinks" After Trade Secret Claim Thrown Out
Uber v. Waymo Trial Delayed Because Uber Withheld Evidence
A Spectator Who Threw A Wrench In The Waymo/Uber Lawsuit

Related: Uber Letter Alleges Surveillance on Politicians and Competitors
The Fall of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick
Waymo Orders Thousands More Chrysler Pacifica Minivans for Driverless Fleet

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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday February 05 2018, @11:39PM (1 child)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday February 05 2018, @11:39PM (#633537) Journal

    You can't call it a trade secret if it isn't secret. Obviously, this secret is out of the bag. The recipe/formula for Coca Cola is a pretty secret trade secret. I guess Kentucky Fried is still kinda secret. Uber and Waymo have very few, if any secrets.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 06 2018, @07:16AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 06 2018, @07:16AM (#633676)
    Trade secrets obviously have to be protected in some way, and that's what this case is about. Misappropriation of trade secrets is a crime that could put someone behind bars for up to ten years (18 U.S.C. § 1832) or be liable for statutory damages of up to $5 million, and there's punitive damages too. No, Uber and Waymo still have plenty of secrets I think. The names and addresses of their drivers, their clients, the places their drivers have taken their clients and so forth, all of those fall under the rubric of their trade secrets.