Google's self-driving car group tries to block Uber from using allegedly stolen tech

Waymo, Google's self-driving car company, has asked a judge to block Uber's work on autonomous vehicles, escalating the high-profile intellectual property dispute between the two technology companies and adding to the growing list of Uber's troubles. In court filings on Friday, the self-driving car operation owned by Alphabet, Google's parent company, filed an injunction requesting that a judge prevent Uber from using technology that Waymo alleges was brazenly stolen. If granted, the injunction would mark an extraordinary setback for Uber, which has dealt with a series of public relations crises in recent weeks, including a sexual harassment scandal, a law enforcement controversy and numerous executive departures. Last month, Alphabet accused Uber of "calculated theft" of its technology with an explosive lawsuit alleging that a former Waymo employee, Anthony Levandowski, plotted to steal trade secrets before starting a new self-driving truck firm called Otto, which Uber eventually acquired. The complaint centers on Waymo's proprietary LiDAR system, a technology that self-driving vehicles use to observe the road.