Uber and Waymo trial delayed after evidence ‘withheld’
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The US trial between self-driving car giants Uber and Waymo has been delayed after the judge said that Uber had withheld evidence.
The trial was due to start next week.
San Francisco-based Judge William Alsup said it would be a “huge injustice” to begin the trial so soon, after new evidence had come to light.
Uber is accused of stealing trade secrets from Waymo – which is owned by Google parent Alphabet. Uber has denied the allegations.
The case revolves around Waymo’s accusation that Anthony Levandowski, a former employee, downloaded 14,000 documents from the firm relating to its Lidar (light detection and ranging) tech, which enables vehicles to sense what is around them.
He later founded a self-driving truck company, which was acquired by Uber.
Uber says the documents were never on its computer servers, and Mr Levandowski had refused to allow it to search his personal devices, citing the fifth amendment.