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Uber sued by Google-founded self-driving unit over tech 'theft'

Uber is being sued by Google owner Alphabet (Xetra: ABEA.DE - news) 's self-driving car unit Waymo over allegations of technology theft.

Details of the case emerged as Waymo, which was founded as part of Google eight years ago, filed a lawsuit in San Francisco.

It accuses former executive Anthony Levandowski of stealing key technology that is now helping Uber assemble a fleet of autonomous vehicles for its ride-hailing service.

The allegations date back to late 2015, before Mr Levandowski left the Google-owned project to found a start-up called Otto that is building self-driving lorries.

Uber bought Otto for $680m last year and he is now overseeing Uber's efforts to develop cars driven by robots.

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There was no immediate comment from Uber and Mr Levandowski.

The claim by Alphabet alleges that the executive loaded 14,000 confidential files on a laptop before leaving Waymo to start Otto.

The alleged theft included the designs for circuit boards needed for "LiDAR", an array of sensors that enable self-driving cars to see what is around them in order to navigate roads safely.

Waymo is seeking a court order prohibiting Uber from relying on its technology in its self-driving vehicles, as well as damages.

Waymo now operates as a subsidiary of Google's parent company Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL - news) but has its roots in Google, where Mr Levandowski worked for years.