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Criminal Conviction Abroad

Valeo said Moniruzzaman was convicted in Germany in September 2023 for unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure of trade secrets and admitted to stealing Valeo’s confidential information.

The civil suit accused Nvidia of violating the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act and the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act, seeking damages and injunctive relief.

Valeo alleged Nvidia tried to “take a shortcut to the marketplace” by leveraging stolen software, warning that unchecked conduct would chill innovation and become a blueprint for corporate espionage.

Nvidia Pushes Back

Nvidia denied all allegations, saying it developed its automotive technology independently and long before Moniruzzaman left Valeo.

“Nvidia did not want or need, and would not have benefited from, Valeo’s alleged trade secrets,” the company said in its January 2024 answer.

Nvidia also argued that key issues had already been litigated in Germany, where Valeo withdrew allegations against Nvidia and a court ordered Valeo to reimburse Nvidia’s costs in October 2023.

The company said its Drive platform takes a fundamentally different approach from Valeo’s products, emphasizing that Valeo does not offer an end-to-end integrated solution, does not make GPUs and “is not an AI pioneer.”

Nvidia said it placed Moniruzzaman on leave and cut off his system access as soon as it learned of Valeo’s claims.

Lawyers and Silence After Settlement

Nvidia denied that Moniruzzaman shared Valeo trade secrets internally or that Nvidia knowingly used any such information, insisting it never needed Valeo’s technology “for any reason.”

Counsel for both companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Wednesday.

Valeo is represented by Russell E. Levine, Laura Uhlenhuth and Mark Gillespie of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
Nvidia is represented by Sean S. Pak, Owen Roberts, Ron Hagiz and Jodie Cheng of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP.

With Nvidia Settles Valeo’s Suit, the case closes without a verdict — ending a saga where a single screen share briefly illuminated one of the most closely guarded currencies in tech: source code.