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The Almighty Buck Google Patents The Courts Technology

Waymo Clarifies It Actually Wants $1.8 Billion From Uber (techcrunch.com) 23

Last week, a lawyer for Uber said Waymo was seeking about $2.6 billion from the company for the alleged theft of one of several trade secrets in a lawsuit over self-driving cars. Over the weekend, Waymo filed a document with the court noting that the correct figure was actually $1.859 billion. TechCrunch reports: It's not clear why this seemingly important detail was left uncorrected for nearly a week. The filing also includes some additional clarification around the way in which the damages figure was calculated. Though Waymo is arguing that nine trade secrets were put in jeopardy by Anthony Levandowski, it is seeking a maximum of $1.8 billion in damages. That figure is the value that Waymo is attributing to a single trade secret -- trade secret 25. The other eight secrets are being individually valued at less than $1.8 billion. Consequently, Waymo is capping the damages at the value of its most valuable compromised trade secret. Waymo's attorneys note that the $1.8 billion figure was calculated based on an estimate of "Uber's unjust enrichment from Uber's trade secret misappropriation." Waymo continues that the damages are based on Uber's own profitability forecasts of deploying autonomous vehicles into its ridesharing business.
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Waymo Clarifies It Actually Wants $1.8 Billion From Uber

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  • This time I will make an exception. Go get 'em, Waymo!
    • Waymo isn't a patent troll, though, as they're not an NPE (non-practicing entity). They're doing active research, pushing the field, and have put cars on the road to various degrees. They're not ready to sell systems, but merely suing over an allegedly stolen patent doesn't make them a patent troll.

      • Also, this isn't about patents. This is about trade secrets.

        Personal opinion: If you want to protect your ideas you should patent them. That is the rationale for the existence of patents - to encourage people to publish their ideas in return for a period of exclusivity. If you don't use the patent system, and instead try to keep your ideas secret, then you shouldn't be able to sue someone if they leak. The courts should not be in the business of enforcing private secrets to the detriment of the public i

        • by xQx ( 5744 ) on Monday September 25, 2017 @09:26PM (#55263561)

          The problem with a patent is you need to tell everyone what you're doing, and how you've achieved it.

          Then you're at the mercy of the system to make sure what you patented was novel enough to be afforded protection, and if knowing how you got it working one way makes it easier for people to achieve the same result using a different method, you've just given your competition a leg up.

          Also - as Elon Musk said - when you're competition includes foreign governments, US Patents aren't much use.

          There are legitimate reasons to rely on trade secrets.

        • The courts should not be in the business of enforcing private secrets to the detriment of the public interest.

          I agree with you somewhat, but the courts should be in the business of enforcing contracts, though--that's one of their most basic functions, and what most civil law is based on, whether that contract is express or implied. When a third party profits from the violation of an agreement between two parties, the courts have a role in determining if the violation was facilitated by the third party direc

  • by micsaund ( 12591 ) on Monday September 25, 2017 @05:04PM (#55262449) Homepage

    That's definitely Waymo money!

    • by SeaFox ( 739806 )

      That's definitely Waymo money!

      $1.859 bil this week > $2.6 bil last week?

      Okay, man. Don't quit your day job.

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