Ford Sheds $105 Million Jury Award in Software Trade Secret Case

Ford Motor Co. shook off a $105 million jury award in a suit alleging the company breached a contract and stole software trade secrets from Versata Software Inc.

The suit stems from a software program Versata developed for and leased to Ford under a subscription agreement. After the agreement expired, Ford developed its own software program to replace the one Versata developed.

The case proceeded to trial, and a jury, on Oct. 26, 2022, awarded Versata $82,260,000 in breach of contract damages and $22,386,000 in trade secret misappropriation damages.

The jury’s award for contract damages can’t stand because Versata presented ...