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Google Accused of Stealing Balloon Network Tech Behind Project Loon (thestack.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Google's parent company Alphabet has found itself faced with a lawsuit, which claims that the tech giant stole the idea behind its Wi-Fi-emitting balloon network, Project Loon. The Space Data Corporation of Chandler, Arizona, filed the suit and is arguing that it currently holds patents for a balloon-based system which carries broadband antennae to create a wireless network to deliver data services to U.S. armed forces and across remote areas of Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. The organization is seeking damages for two counts of patent infringement, as well as two counts of misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of written contract. Space Data says in their complaint that they had med with as many as 10 Google representatives, including Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in 2007 and 2008 to discuss potential partnerships. They say Google did not agree with the collaboration, and chose to steal trade secrets and start developing their own balloon network in 2011 instead. "Project Loon improperly and unlawfully utilizes Space Data's confidential information and trade secrets which Space Delta disclosed to Defendant Google pursuant to a 2007 Mutual Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement," the complain states.
I'd love to know what "trade secrets" they're claiming were violated. I mean the idea itself wasn't exactly secret, and it seems like there'd be a very limited and fairly obvious number of ways to provide navigation and power, establish a mesh network between balloons, etc.
Of course, presumably they're using trade secret protection because it's not something that could be patented, so probably it's not a technological aspect... which makes me even more curious. I mean you're floating balloons across the country, landing them to drive them back upwind, and repeating the process. Or did they do station-keeping, I forget. Either way it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of room for industry-defended secret techniques.
Of course, if *I* knew then it wouldn't be a trade secret, and they probably wouldn't have a case worth bringing.
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