this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2023
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So this is what that French raid must have been a few weeks ago.
Nvidia has had much more functional autonomous driving software/hardware since ~2015, and built Tesla's early self driving / parking assist. This ex-Valeo employee was hired by Nvidia in 2021 when Nvidia's DRIVE was already powering/developing Mercedes/others autonomous driving packages. Yes, Nvidia DRIVE uses ultrasonics as part of its sensor data (like Valeo park assist uses), but that's been present in DRIVE (and other competing solutions) long before this guy was hired. Since Nvidia is mostly focused on optical processing now, I'd be surprised if they cared about anything the ex-Valeo guy might have stolen.
This sounds to me like an idiot (the ex Valeo employee) trying to make himself valuable to his new employer (Nvidia) via shortcuts, getting caught by his previous employer, and Valeo hoping to get a pretty settlement from Nvidia for some easy revenue.
If that is true than this lesson about contract privity from yesterday is actually helpful. If this individual leaked the info to Nvidia, then only he would be in trouble legally. Because the contract only bound the employee to Valeo. I suppose french privity laws could be different but that should be how it works in america.
nVidia aren't entitled to copy Valeo's IP. That isn't an obligation placed upon them by the contract, it's simply how IP law works. Contract privity isn't particularly relevant here.