Mexican Media Brands
Software Maker Sues Ford $1 Billion for IP Theft
Texas-based Versata Software Inc. claims in a $1 billion lawsuit that Ford Motor Co. illegally developed its own version of one of the company's products.
#legal
Share
Texas-based Versata Software Inc. claims in a $1 billion lawsuit that Ford Motor Co. illegally developed its own version of one of the company's products.
Ford insists its patented software doesn't use Versata coding or infringe upon the Texas company's intellectual property.
Ford began licensing Versata software in 1998 to help configure vehicle equipment packages. But it balked in late 2014 at a pricey 5-year extension and canceled the service.
Versata claims Ford had secretly set up a team in 2010 to develop similar software even as it continued to use Verata's product. Ford's own software received a patent in 2012. Versata claims at least 10 Ford employees were developing that software while using Versata's own program.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Tesla Sued Over Fatal Crash of Car in Autopilot Mode
Tesla Inc. has been sued by the family of a California man whose Tesla Model X crossover vehicle crashed into a highway barrier last year while the car was operating in semi-autonomous Autopilot mode.
-
Another Japanese Supplier Pleads Guilty to U.S. Price Fixing
Maruyasu Industries Co., a Japanese supplier of steel fuel and brake lines and engine components, has pleaded guilty to U.S. charges of conspiring to rig bids and fix prices on its products.
-
Court Ruling Exposes GM to Punitive Damages Over Ignition Switches
A new ruling by the federal judge who presided over General Motors Corp.’s 2009 bankruptcy could expose post-bankruptcy General Motors Co. to a wave of costly punitive damage awards linked to the company’s defective ignition switches.