The man accuses Uber co-founder of idea theft

May 16, 2015 09:00 GMT  ·  By

The ride-sharing company must have become weary of getting hit with a new lawsuit every now and then, most of them coming from unsatisfied customers or their own employees claiming reimbursement for car expenses.

However, the latest legal pursuit could have extremely damaging consequences on the company, given that the plaintiff is seeking $1 billion (€0.87 billion) in compensatory damages.

Kevin Halpern sued Uber and Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick on claims that the founder stole his idea of setting up a ride service paired with cell phones and GPS technology.

According to the law company representing the plaintiff, Halpern accuses Uber's CEO of having ripped off his concept after he had shared with him some of the confidential business information back in 2006, when the plan was still in preliminary stages.

Kalanick, who started the Uber company in 2009, is now facing serious accusations of idea theft and unfair practices for allegedly misusing trade secrets which he had not created.

The accuser has strong evidence to back up his claims

The 41-page complaint shows that the plaintiff had started a company called Celluride's Wireless in 2002 and that through breach of confidence and misappropriation of intellectual property, Kalanick had come up with Uber.

Halpern sees the international taxi service as a carbon copy of his former company, given that the schematics and drawings of the initial project look exactly like what Uber put forward a few years later.

These claims go against the heart-touching story that the founders of the app-based taxi service revealed to the public as to how they got the inspiration for the "unique" idea. Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp said they figured that carpooling needed some updates after they found it impossible to get a cab on a snowy night in Paris. Well, at least this is one of the versions that the founders imparted with the media.

A YouTube video suggestively titled "Grand Theft Auto" provides additional information on how Kalanick used the friendship card to get all the information he needed with the intention of later cutting the originator out.

As expected, a Uber representative has declared for CNNMoney that the claims are "completely baseless" and that they are ready to fight against the accuser.