Tesla Wins Order to Arbitrate Trade-Secret Case Against Former Engineer
A San Francisco federal judge has sent a dispute between Tesla Inc and its former engineer Alexander Yatskov to private arbitration, rejecting Yatskov’s plea to keep the case in court so he could publicly contest Tesla’s “humiliating” claims.
Tesla sued Yatskov in May for allegedly taking confidential information about the company’s Dojo AI-training supercomputer and storing it on his personal computer. The lawsuit also alleged Yatskov provided a “dummy” computer for Tesla to investigate to “cover his tracks.”
DeLorean Face Lawsuit from EV Startup Company, Karma, For Alleged Trade Secret Theft
DeLorean’s Alpha5 EV is the next generation of the DMC-12, and it features a modern take on the electric vehicle that shocked the world on its first unveiling several months back. However, the vehicle is not yet available for all, and it already faces significant lawsuits against its existence from an EV startup company called “Karma.”
Karma is taking on the company’s four employees, including that CEO Joost de Vries, COO Alan Yuan, VP Neilo Harris, and Chief Marketing Officer Troy Beetz, for allegedly stealing trade secrets from its initial dealings.
Shrimp Genetics Case Dips into Uncharted Trade Secrets Realm
American Mariculture Inc. subsidiary American Penaeid Inc. and its principal should pay $10 million for improperly acquiring and attempting to sell Primo Broodstock Inc. shrimp that were specially bred to be resilient, a federal jury in Florida concluded. Nothing in trade secrets law prohibits an organism’s genetics from constituting protectable “information,” a federal judge said earlier this month in upholding the verdict.
Few trade secrets lawsuits have skimmed the organisms-as-information issue, leaving courts with leeway on how to handle such disputes in a broader trade secrets area known for vague definitions and abstract boundaries.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/shrimp-genetics-verdict-dips-into-uncharted-trade-secrets-realm
California Man Gets 10-Year Sentence for Embezzlement, including $1M Spent on Online Game
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, Kevin Lee Co, 51, of Rocklin, pleaded guilty in December 2016 to wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors said he stole approximately $4.8 million from his former employer, Holt of California.
According to prosecutors, Co used the money to buy luxury cars, home furniture and season tickets to NBA and NFL games, KTXL-TV reported. Approximately $1 million was spent on the online video game, “Game of War,” according to the television station.
A Chinese Company Accused of Ripping off Apple Designs Unveiled a new Humanoid Robot that Looks a lot like Tesla’s
Xiaomi beat Tesla to building a functional humanoid robot, but the design for its CyberOne robot looks eerily similar to the electric-car maker’s Optimus.
Last week, the Chinese tech company unveiled its first look at CyberOne during a live event in Beijing. The humanoid bot was able to walk across the stage and appeared to communicate with Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun.
Tesla is expected to reveal more details on its own bot in September at the carmaker’s second annual AI Day. Elon Musk has said Tesla may have an Optimus prototype ready by the September 30 event.
Omaha Sports Academy Founder Sentenced to Probation for Embezzling Nearly $400,000
Friends and family members filled the courtroom to support 49-year-old Robert Franzese, who was charged in 2021 with felony theft after it was uncovered that he had embezzled nearly $400,000 from the academy between 2016 and 2021.
According to Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, investigators suspected that Franzese was using the stolen money for gambling. Franzese and his attorneys have talked about his struggles with addiction, for which he has received inpatient and outpatient treatment.