Advertisement
Canada markets close in 2 hours 8 minutes
  • S&P/TSX

    22,180.56
    +73.48 (+0.33%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,252.26
    +3.77 (+0.07%)
     
  • DOW

    39,782.98
    +22.90 (+0.06%)
     
  • CAD/USD

    0.7389
    +0.0016 (+0.22%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    82.97
    +1.62 (+1.99%)
     
  • Bitcoin CAD

    95,768.20
    +2,285.91 (+2.45%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,240.90
    +28.20 (+1.27%)
     
  • RUSSELL 2000

    2,123.97
    +9.62 (+0.45%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2100
    +0.0140 (+0.33%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    16,381.53
    -17.99 (-0.11%)
     
  • VOLATILITY

    13.04
    +0.26 (+2.03%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     
  • CAD/EUR

    0.6841
    +0.0036 (+0.53%)
     

The judge in the Uber versus Google spat is looking for a good book recommendation

travis kalanick fountainhead
travis kalanick fountainhead

(Getty Images/Business Insider)

Google and Uber each need to choose a good book for the judge presiding over their lawsuit, according to the "request for literature" filed in California federal court on Friday.

It's a book recommendation, though, that comes with higher than normal stakes.

Each side gets to name one and only one "book, treatise, article or other reference publicly available" to educate the judge presiding over their legal case about a technology called Lidar and how it's applied to self-driving cars — not your typical bedtime reading, but one that will have seriously influence the judgment of their case.

ADVERTISEMENT

Last month, Waymo, the self-driving company owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, sued Uber, claiming that one of its employees stole vital Lidar technology shortly before starting his own self-driving company (which Uber later acquired). The trade secrets case is shaping up to be one of the most significant and closely-watched battles in Silicon Valley in years, pitting two of the world's most powerful companies, and former partners, against each other.

That's why Judge William Alsup wants to study up.

According to filing, the judge already knows a lot about lenses and focal lengths. "So, most useful would be literature on adapting LiDAR to self-driving vehicles, including various strategies for positioning light-emitting diodes behind the lens for best overall effect, as well as use of a single lens to project outgoing light as well as to focus on incoming reflections (other than, of course, the patents in suit)," the filing says.

Business Insider's recommended reading list

Both companies will be giving Judge Alsup an in-person tutorial of the technology on April 12, so the book recommendations are due a week before to give plenty of time to read. Uber didn't respond to request for comment, and Google declined to say what it was going to choose.

In the event Waymo or Uber are lacking in ideas, we decided to come up with a few handy suggestions that might be more entertaining than a single book on light-emitting diodes:

NOW WATCH: Your neighbor's WiFi is ruining yours — here's how to fix it



More From Business Insider