Uber Denies Google’s Theft Claim, FBI Criminal Investigation Possible

Google’s self-driving car division Waymo recently filed a lawsuit against Uber over alleged stolen technology. According to the search engine giant, the cab hailing firm is using stolen driverless car secrets. Uber is denying the allegations, saying they stole nothing. If the lawsuit goes in favor of Waymo, Uber could be looking at far more than just damage fees. It could destroy the company’s driverless fleet ambitions and result in jail time for some of its executives.

The debacle all started when Uber acquired the self-driving truck startup Otto, which was created by former employees of Google. According to the lawsuit, before leaving the search engine company, Otto co-founder Anthony Levandowski stole thousands of files pertaining to driverless technology. In an interview recently posted by Forbes, Levandowski had said early on that he did not steal Google IP.

Waymo doesn’t seem to believe that this is the case and its accusation could quickly lead not only to a patent war but to an actual criminal investigation by the FBI thanks to the revamped anti-trade secret theft system. As WIRED points out, under the new initiative called the Defend Trade Secrets Act, Uber could be looking at a disaster from a business standpoint if Waymo’s lawsuit should prevail.

According to the publication, Uber needs to watch out for the three things that Waymo would be allowed to do. First is being able to file an injunction, which could halt the cab hailing company’s business. If Waymo wants to take it further, it could file for what’s called “permanent injunctive relief.” Finally, the new laws could potentially allow Google to seize all the products that the stolen technology is built into before the decision has even been made by the courts.

Worst of all for Uber, if Waymo decides to get the FBI involved, it could mean jail time for offending executives. If it is proven that Otto did willfully steal trade secrets and Uber took them on despite knowing that, someone could be incarcerated.