Toshiba and Rivian have become entangled in a contentious lawsuit, with the former accusing the latter of allegedly pilfering critical battery knowledge by luring away Tesla engineers.
After months of intense negotiations, the two rival automakers finally appear poised to bring an end to their four-year-old legal battle.
In 2020, Tesla sued Rivian for alleged intellectual property theft, claiming that the latter hired former Tesla employees and induced them to surrender confidential documents. Rivian has denied the allegations.
When Tesla initiated litigation against Rivian, the nature of the allegedly pilfered commerce secrets and proprietary techniques remained unclear. Notwithstanding the suits, it is notable that the personnel implicated include two recruiters, an Environment Health and Safety (EHS) supervisor, and a supervisor of Tesla’s charging infrastructure.
The automaker alleged that the former employees had disclosed “sensitive information comprising highly detailed commercial secrets, confidential, and proprietary engineering data” upon joining Rivian.
A year later, Tesla expanded the lawsuit, accusing LG Chem of stealing the core expertise necessary to develop its next-generation batteries.
Initially, the businesses attempted to resolve their disputes outside of court, but those efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful, leading to the lawsuit being taken to trial last year.
More than a year since the initial filing, Tesla has recently announced its intention to seek dismissal of the lawsuit against Rivian, citing the success of negotiations leading to a conditional settlement between the two companies. The corporation kept confidential details of the settlement agreement from public view, as reported by Bloomberg.
In a filing with a California state court, Tesla declined to provide details about the proposed settlement, but informed the judge that it anticipates pursuing the case’s dismissal by December. Upon completing the phrases in a passable manner.
Neither Tesla nor Rivian has publicly commented on the reported settlement.
While Tesla has touted its commitment to openness by claiming it has significantly open-sourced its patents, scrutiny reveals this assertion is far from accurate. In a bid to foster collaboration and innovation, Tesla has established an open-source policy allowing other companies to leverage its patented technologies on the condition that they refrain from suing the electric car giant over intellectual property rights.
Tesla asserts that Rivian has deliberately hired individuals with the intention of misappropriating its proprietary technologies. Rivian has categorically dismissed the accusation.
Electrek’s Take
While the specific phrases may be unclear, instances where this concept applies often involve ensuring that no proprietary information is utilized or has been employed at any level of access.
While the lawsuit’s specifics remain unclear, it appears that Tesla may be referencing its 4680 battery cells, which are not actually batteries themselves but rather a type of cell used in electric vehicles. The possible culprit could be the innovative structural battery pack.
Rivian is poised to leverage a larger, 4695mm-tall battery from LG Energy Solution in its upcoming vehicles.
