Exclusive: Alphabet's Waymo demanded $1 billion in settlement talks with Uber
Waymo
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc âs Waymo  sought at least $1 billion in damages and a public apology from Uber Technologies Inc as conditions for settling  its  high-profile trade secret lawsuit against the ride-services company  sources familiar with the proposal told Reuters.
The Waymo self-driving car unit also asked that an independent monitor be appointed to ensure Uber does not use  Waymo  technology in the future  the sources said.
Uber rejected those terms as non-starters  said the sources  who were not authorized to publicly discuss settlement talks. The precise dollar amount requested by  Waymo  and the exact time the offer was made could not be learned.
 Waymoâs  tough negotiating stance  which has not been previously reported  reflects the company âs  confidence in  its  legal position after months of pretrial victories in a case which may help to determine who emerges in the forefront of the fast-growing field of self-driving cars.
The aggressive settlement demands also suggest that  Waymo  is not in a hurry to resolve the lawsuit  in part because of  its  value as a distraction for Uber leadership  said Elizabeth Rowe  a trade secret expert at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
 Waymo  recently persuaded a San Francisco federal judge to delay a trial to decide the dispute from October to early December  citing the need to investigate evidence Uber had not disclosed earlier.
Amy Candido  a  Waymo  attorney  declined to comment on any settlement talks  but said the companyâs reasons for suing Uber are âpretty clear.â
â Waymo  had one goal: to stop Uber from using  its  trade secrets â  she  said. âThat remains  its  goal.â
 Waymo  sued Uber in February  claiming that former engineer Anthony Levandowski downloaded more than 14 000 confidential files before leaving to set up a self-driving truck company  called Otto  which Uber acquired soon after.
Uber denied using any of Waymoâs trade secrets.
FILE PHOTO: The  Waymo  logo is displayed during the company's unveil of a self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivan during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit  Michigan  U.S.  January 8  2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
 Waymoâs  lawsuit has been disruptive for Uber. U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted  Waymoâs  request for a pretrial injunction in May  which prohibited Levandowski from working on Lidar  a key sensor technology for self-driving cars that is the crux of the current litigation.
Uber later fired Levandowski  regarded as a visionary in autonomous technology  after he refused to return Waymo documents at the heart of the case. Levandowski has asserted his constitutional right against self-incrimination and declined to answer questions from  Waymo  lawyers.
Benchmark cited  Waymo âs allegations of trade secret theft in separate litigation aimed at forcing Kalanick off Uberâs board. A Delaware judge put that lawsuit on hold and sent it to private arbitration.
On Sunday Oct. 1  the day before Kalanick was scheduled to give a deposition in the Waymo case  Kalanickâs lawyers called  Waymo  and asked to postpone the deposition  lawyers for both companies said in court last week.
Kalanickâs lawyers said he was in the middle of a fight to appoint new board members and was therefore too busy   Waymo  attorneys said in court.  Waymo  refused the request  forcing Kalanick to attend the deposition.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc âs  [TGT] sought at least $1 billion in damages and a public apology from Uber Technologies Inc as conditions for settling   [TGT]   high-profile trade secret lawsuit against the ride-services company  sources familiar with the proposal told Reuters.
The Waymo self-driving car unit also asked that an independent monitor be appointed to ensure Uber does not use  Waymo  technology in the future  the sources said.
Uber rejected those terms as non-starters  said the sources  who were not authorized to publicly discuss settlement talks. The precise dollar amount requested by  Waymo  and the exact time the offer was made could not be learned.
 Waymoâs  tough negotiating stance  which has not been previously reported  reflects the company âs  confidence in  its  legal position after months of pretrial victories in a case which may help to determine who emerges in the forefront of the fast-growing field of self-driving cars.
The aggressive settlement demands also suggest that   [TGT] is not in a hurry to resolve the lawsuit  in part because of   [TGT]   value as a distraction for Uber leadership  said Elizabeth Rowe  a trade secret expert at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
  [TGT] recently persuaded a San Francisco federal judge to delay a trial to decide the dispute from October to early December  citing the need to investigate evidence Uber had not disclosed earlier.
Amy Candido  a   [TGT] attorney  declined to comment on any settlement talks  but said the companyâs reasons for suing Uber are âpretty clear.â
 [TGT] had one goal: to stop Uber from using   [TGT]   trade secrets â  she  said. âThat remains  its  goal.â
  [TGT] sued Uber in February  claiming that former engineer Anthony Levandowski downloaded more than 14 000 confidential files before leaving to set up a self-driving truck company  called Otto  which Uber acquired soon after.
Uber denied using any of Waymoâs trade secrets.
FILE PHOTO: The  Waymo  logo is displayed during the company's unveil of a self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivan during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit  Michigan  U.S.  January 8  2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
  [TGT] lawsuit has been disruptive for Uber. U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted   [TGT] request for a pretrial injunction in May  which prohibited Levandowski from working on Lidar  a key sensor technology for self-driving cars that is the crux of the current litigation.
Uber later fired Levandowski  regarded as a visionary in autonomous technology  after he refused to return Waymo documents at the heart of the case. Levandowski has asserted his constitutional right against self-incrimination and declined to answer questions from   [TGT] lawyers.
Benchmark cited   [TGT]  âs allegations of trade secret theft in separate litigation aimed at forcing Kalanick off Uberâs board. A Delaware judge put  [TGT]  on hold and sent  [TGT]  to private arbitration.
On Sunday Oct. 1  the day before Kalanick was scheduled to give a deposition in the Waymo case  Kalanickâs lawyers called   [TGT] and asked to postpone the deposition  lawyers for both companies said in court last week.
Kalanickâs lawyers said he was in the middle of a fight to appoint new board members and was therefore too busy    [TGT] attorneys said in court.   [TGT] refused the request  forcing Kalanick to attend the deposition.