Ford suing former exec over new Toyota-related job
Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Ford, Toyota
Ford is suing former marketing executive Martin Collins as the result of a job he took with a Toyota distributor. The Detroit Free Press reports that Collins took a position as president of Gulf States Toyota; an apparent violation of his employment contract with Ford. Collins had been the general sales manager of the Ford and Lincoln brands since May.Ford is seeking $25,000 in damages for the alleged employment contract breach and the automaker is also looking to ban Collins from taking the job. Ford said in the suit that the company is concerned that Collins could supply "confidential or proprietary information and/or trade secrets that is valuable and gives a competitive advantage to the company."
Collins' attorney, William John Bux, counters that the former Ford employee is actually employed by the Friedkin Group - not Gulf States Toyota. Bux adds that Collins will not interact with Gulf States Toyota until after the non-compete clause ends.
Ford suing former exec over new Toyota-related job originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord named in patent infringement case over SYNC, safety systems
Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology, Ford, Lincoln
Eagle Harbor Holdings has named Ford in a lawsuit, contending that the automaker infringed on seven of its patents after talks between the two companies stalled out in 2008 - and the claimed infringements strike right at the heart of Ford's recent tech expansion.
In addition to claiming that Ford cribbed its technology for Active Park Assist, Stability Control, Blind Spot Information with Cross Traffic Alert and MyKey, the small Bainbridge Island, WA tech firm claims that the technology behind Ford's incredibly popular SYNC infotainment system. Specifically, the voice control and remote MP3 player connection technology.
According to Eagle:
"Our representatives began meeting with Ford in 2002 to discuss and disclose our patented automotive systems technology and its applicability for use in Ford vehicles," said Jeffrey Harmes, general counsel for Eagle Harbor Holdings, LLC. "These meetings continued until 2008, when Ford stopped communications with us. In early 2009 we informed Ford that its automotive audio systems infringed on our patents. In March 2010, we again informed Ford that its automotive electronics systems, including Ford SYNC, infringed on our patents. Unfortunately, despite our many efforts to communicate with Ford and resolve these issues, Ford continues to refuse to license its use of our patented technology. Ford is ignoring our patent rights and continues to use, without permission or license, Eagle Harbor's technology."
Those talks also included Volvo - at the time, owned by Ford Motor Company - but it's unclear if Eagle will pursue the recently sold Swedish automaker for similar tech infringement.
A Ford spokesperson tells Autoblog, "We were just served with this lawsuit late last week and we have not yet had an opportunity to review the details. We believe it would be premature for us to comment until we have had a chance to do so."
It's unlikely that Ford will have to stop production of its SYNC and advanced safety-equipped vehicles, but if Eagle wins the suit or settles out of court, we wouldn't be surprised to learn of the Blue Oval cutting a hefty check.
Ford named in patent infringement case over SYNC, safety systems originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFord settles $131m Explorer rollover case
Filed under: SUV, Government/Legal, Safety, Ford
Ford's second-generation Explorer has just cost the company $131 million. Despite the popularity of the seminal SUV, it's had more than its fair share of legal scrapes regarding its rollover resistance. And while the Explorer/Firestone tire kerfuffle has long since exited the headlines, the Blue Oval continues to get its pocketbook dinged by the SUV. According to Autoblog sister site AOL Autos, this week, a jury in Jackson, Mississippi was to decide on possible punitive damages in the lawsuit over the death of Brian Cole, a promising baseball player headed for the New York Mets. Ford settled with the family over the matter of the 2001 rollover accident after a jury awarded $131 million in damages. Punitive damages were the next decision the jury was to consider before Ford settled.
Ford apparently disagrees with the blame placed on its vehicle, saying that the 22-year-old Cole was speeding and not wearing a seatbelt. Cole died from injuries sustained after being ejected from his Explorer during a rollover accident on a Florida highway. His cousin, Ryan Cole, survived the accident, which Ford attributes to the use of a seatbelt and the Explorer's crash performance. While a settlement can be taken as a de facto acknowledgement of the Cole family's claims that the Explorer is inherently unstable and its safety belts can fail in rollovers, the automaker maintains that it didn't receive a fair trial, and settled to bring closure to the issue.
[Source: AOL Autos]
Ford settles $131m Explorer rollover case originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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