Valeo, a French automotive technology company, has sued Nvidia for allegedly stealing its trade secrets. The lawsuit claims that Mohammad Moniruzzaman, a former Valeo employee who now works for Nvidia, stole the source code for Valeo’s parking and driving assistance software.
Key Points
- Valeo claims that Moniruzzaman stole the trade secrets in 2021 while he was still working for the company.
- Moniruzzaman was convicted by German authorities in September 2023 of unlawfully holding the data.
- Valeo is seeking significant damages and an injunction prohibiting Nvidia from using its trade secrets.
The lawsuit alleges that Moniruzzaman stole the trade secrets by copying the source code to his personal computer. He then allegedly transferred the code to his Nvidia-issued laptop.
The Screen-Sharing Blunder
In March 2022, Moniruzzaman was giving a presentation to a team from Valeo via Microsoft Teams. During the presentation, he inadvertently shared his screen, revealing the stolen trade secrets. Valeo employees who were on the call immediately took screenshots of the code.
Valeo has filed a lawsuit in a California court, alleging that Nvidia has benefited financially from the stolen trade secrets. The company is seeking significant damages and an injunction prohibiting Nvidia from using the code.
Nvidia’s Response
Nvidia has declined to comment on the lawsuit. However, in a letter to Valeo in June 2022, the company’s lawyers stated that Moniruzzaman’s actions were “entirely unknown” to the firm until May 2022. The lawyers also stated that Nvidia has “no interest in Valeo’s code or its alleged trade secrets” and has taken “prompt concrete steps to protect your client’s asserted rights.”
The outcome of the case is still pending. However, the lawsuit is a reminder of the importance of taking steps to protect trade secrets. Companies should have policies in place to prevent employees from stealing trade secrets, and they should also train employees on how to protect confidential information.
