Random engineer spends six grand to block Waymo’s lidar patents
The patents were pivotal in Waymo’s battle against Uber last year.
Eric Swildens, an engineer who doesn’t work in the self-driving car industry, spent $6,000 of his own money to block Waymo from getting a patent on the lidar technology it says it invented. Swildens spent the six grand so he could file a challenge with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) over Waymo’s 936 patent, which led to the USPTO rejecting 53 out of 56 claims in Waymo’s patent, reports ArsTechnica.