Uber's alleged theft of Waymo trade secrets referred to federal prosecutors

Waymo sued Uber in February, claiming that the ride-sharing company had orchestrated the 'calculated theft' of its technology

The federal judge overseeing a trade secret dispute between Uber and the Google spin-off Waymo has recommended that federal prosecutors begin a criminal investigation into the alleged theft of Waymo's self-driving car technology.

Judge William Alsup's referral of the case to the US attorney came amid a flurry of orders in the contentious lawsuit between two Silicon Valley giants. Alsup also denied Uber's attempt to force the case into arbitration and partially granted Waymo's request for a preliminary injunction against Uber.