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When Waymo sued Uber earlier this year<\/a>, claiming that its former employee stole 14,000 documents containing trade secrets about its self-driving car project and took the documents to Uber, it was a stain on Uber\u2019s reputation. Now, it looks like the damage could be more\u00a0extensive \u2014 the judge in the civil case has referred the theft claims to the U.S. Attorney for a possible criminal investigation.<\/p>\n Anthony Levandowski, the engineer accused of stealing the documents, has broadly invoked his 5th Amendment rights<\/a> against self-incrimination in the case, refusing to answer questions\u00a0about the documents<\/a> and his work at his self-driving truck startup Otto or on Uber\u2019s self-driving car project.<\/p>\n Levandowski\u2019s silence has stymied the discovery process in the lawsuit, as Uber has argued that it can\u2019t release documents related to its acquisition of Otto without violating its employee\u2019s 5th Amendment rights.<\/p>\n Judge William Alsup, who is presiding over the civil lawsuit, referred the case to the U.S. Attorney tonight \u2014 a move that could result in a criminal investigation into Levandowski\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n This kind of\u00a0referral does not<\/em> guarantee that the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office will open an investigation or bring any charges against Levandowski. It just opens up the possibility.<\/p>\n \u201cThis case is referred to the United States Attorney for investigation of possible theft of trade secrets based on the evidentiary record supplied thus far concerning plaintiff Waymo LLC\u2019s claims for trade secret misappropriation. Said evidentiary record is described in detail in the Court\u2019s order, also issued today, on Waymo\u2019s motion for provisional relief. The Court takes no position on whether a prosecution is or is not warranted, a decision entirely up to the United States Attorney,\u201d Judge Alsup wrote in the referral.<\/p>\n Alsup\u2019s ruling on Waymo\u2019s motion for provisional relief is not yet public. Waymo asked the judge to prevent Levandowski from overseeing Uber\u2019s self-driving efforts \u2014 a move Uber claims Levandowski has already made voluntarily \u2014 and to prevent Uber from using any of its trade secrets. The latter point is a contentious one between the two companies.<\/p>\n Uber claims that its LiDAR systems were developed independently<\/a>, while Waymo claims that Uber\u2019s systems rely on its stolen trade secrets and patents. Alsup\u2019s ruling is expected to be made public shortly.<\/p>\n Featured Image: ANGELO MERENDINO\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/gettyimages-605519778.jpg?w=680\")
When Waymo sued Uber earlier this year, claiming that its former employee stole 14,000 documents containing trade secrets about its self-driving car project and took the documents to Uber, it was a stain on Uber’s reputation. Now, it looks like the damage could be more\u00a0extensive — the judge in the civil case has referred the theft claims to the U.S. Attorney for a possible… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/img><\/a>
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