Hacker News Reader

"asks that Defendants not be allowed to use Waymos trade secrets in doing so."

I was under the impression that trade secrets were explicitly not legally protected, and the entire point of a patent was that you publicly document your invention, in exchange for legal protection.

View on HN

This may (IANAL) be relevant: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/california-trade-secr.... California has laws dealing with the "misappropriation" of trade secrets.

If Uber had independently come up with the same ideas then there wouldn't be a case.

The real issue is that the guy "stole" the trade secrets and gave them to another company. No doubt he signed an employment contract with Google saying he couldn't do that.

Notice that this guy isn't actually a party to this litigation.

He might steal half a billion dollars worth of technology, be found out, and still get away scott free.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com