US appeals court revives $82 million of verdict against Ford in trade secrets case
US appeals court revived $82.2 million of a $104.6 million verdict on Friday in a trade secrets case. The court reinstated damages that a jury in Detroit had awarded to Versata Software in 2022 after finding that Ford violated their contract.
Versata, based in Austin, Texas, said it licensed its automotive software to Ford from 1998 to 2015, helping the automaker's engineers and marketing agents collaborate on and design vehicles. They said that Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford began copying its software after growing weary of paying millions of dollars in annual licensing fees. The jury awarded Versata $82.2 million for breach of contract and $22.4 million for misappropriation of trade secrets. U.S. District Judge Matthew Leitman had overturned the verdict in 2023 after finding that Versata had not offered enough evidence to let jurors calculate the damages accurately. Spokespeople for Ford and Versata did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The case was sent back for a new trial to determine the proper amount of damages for Ford's trade-secret theft. The Federal Circuit said on Friday that the jury had calculated the breach-of-contract damages with "reasonable certainty."
Quick Summary
Versata Software and Ford are locked in a legal battle over a licensing contract and alleged trade secret misappropriation. The case has seen twists and turns in U.S. courts, raising questions about intellectual property and contractual obligations - and the value of automotive software.
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