Cadwalader Representing Zemcar in Trade Secrets Dispute With Uber

July 01, 2024

Cadwalader is representing Zemcar, a startup cofounded by former Obama administration official Juliette Kayyem and former Verizon chief product officer Bilal Khan, in a lawsuit filed against Uber in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston on June 7.

Zemcar, doing business as Grip Mobility Co., developed a software-based video recording solution to increase rideshare safety, particularly for women and children. Zemcar then worked on pilot programs with Uber in Brazil, which successfully monitored 3.4 million hours of rides in 2020 and 2021. However, in December 2021, Uber cut ties with Zemcar and, less than a year later, unveiled “copycat” features in its own app, according to the lawsuit filed on behalf of our client.

You can read more about the lawsuit in business and legal press coverage, including the Boston Globe (“Zemcar, run by former Obama official Juliette Kayyem, says Uber stole its tech”) and American Lawyer Media/Law.com (“Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft Launch Trade Secrets Complaint Against Uber's Audiovisual-Recording Technology”). A copy of the complaint is attached.

The Cadwalader team is led by partners Danielle Tully, Doug Gansler and Jonathan Watkins; special counsel Michael Powell; and associates Catherine Taylor and Taylor Imperiale.