U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday brought a criminal case against a former high-ranking Google engineer, alleging he stole confidential technology from ...
REUTERS: U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday brought a criminal case against a former high-ranking Google engineer, alleging he stole confidential technology from the company's self-driving car unit before joining rival Uber Technologies Inc .
Levandowski's alleged conduct was at the centre of a lawsuit Waymo brought against Uber in 2017, which ended with Uber paying a settlement of about US$245 million.The following explains how trade secrets cases work, Levandowski's potential defences, and the amount of jail time he could face if convicted.Under U.S. law, a trade secret is economically valuable information or technology that the owner has taken reasonable steps to keep hidden from rivals.
A company with a cutting-edge technology will sometimes claim the invention is a trade secret rather than file for patent protection. Patents eventually expire and make the invention part of the public domain, but trade secret protection can last indefinitely, or at least as long as the information remains confidential.It is quite common for companies to sue rivals for alleged trade secrets theft. In 2017, there were more than 1,100 such civil cases filed in U.S.
Criminal prosecutions often focus on trade secrets that involve national security and recently have targeted Chinese nationals who worked in the United States. Prosecutors also feel pressure to act in high-profile domestic cases involving important technology, legal experts said.
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