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Texas Company Claims Ford Stole Its Software
Versata Software Inc., an Austin, Tex.-based software developer, claims Ford Motor Co. stole its patented auto development software to create its own in-house version of the program.
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Versata Software Inc., an Austin, Tex.-based software developer, claims Ford Motor Co. stole its patented auto development software to create its own in-house version of the program.
The company has petitioned a U.S. District Court judge in Texas to issue an injunction prohibiting Ford from using the program the carmaker developed.
Ford has been using Versata's "automotive configuration management" software since 1998. But it terminated an $8.5 million annual licensing agreement with the company at the end of last year, saying it was switching from ACM to a new program it developed in-house.
Versata's lawsuit claims Ford's patented replacement software contains ACM program code and was developed by the same employees who had been using ACM under license.
Ford retorts that its program operates differently and is more efficient than Versata's ACM software. Ford says it began developing its own program in 2010 after Versata declared the ACM software obsolete.
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