Tech juggernaut Google is heading to court over accusations of infringing on intellectual property rights while developing its artificial intelligence.
Massachusetts-based computer science company Singular Computing alleges that Google illicitly used its computer-processing architecture to improve its AI technology.
The company is seeking up to $7 billion in damages from Google. The trial is expected to last up to three weeks.
Singular Computing founder Joseph Bates claims he previously showed his proprietary computing developments to Google in 2010 and 2014.
He says that his technology is now being used to improve Google's suite of services.
Bates claims AI-powered aspects of Gmail, web searches, Google Translate and other products are using the processes covered by his patents.
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Google has denied the allegations of intellectual property theft, saying that company engineers told Bates his technology was not suitable for their software.
"Google engineers had mixed feelings about the technology and the company ultimately rejected it, explicitly telling Dr. Bates that his idea was not right for the type of applications Google was developing," Google said in a document filed to the court.
Singular Computing's case is only the latest in a string of recent legal woes for the tech giant.
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Last month, Google agreed to settle a lawsuit claiming the search engine giant secretly tracked millions of users’ internet use, despite believing they were browsing in incognito mode.
The lawsuit, which had sought $5 billion, was filed in 2020 in the U.S. District Court Northern District of California and covered "millions" of Google users, seeking damages of $5,000 per user, or three times actual damages, whichever is greater.
The settlement terms were not disclosed, but lawyers stated they agreed to the terms through mediation. The attorneys are also expected to present a formal agreement to the court for approval by Feb. 24, 2024.
