The recent legal battle between Uber and Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, has created some roadblocks along the path to commercializing self-driving cars. Waymo has accused Uber of violation of trade secrets and patent infringements, and sought to bar Uber from using its proprietary technology.
According to PVMI director John Paul MacDuffie, this lawsuit may have similar scope and implications as the 2012 court battle between Apple and Samsung over alleged patent infringement. The race to commercialize cost-efficient, safe driverless technology lies at the heart of this lawsuit, which may have far-reaching impacts in the development of autonomous vehicles.