Zuckerberg to testify in $2-B lawsuit involving Oculus

One lawyer calls the case ‘one of the biggest technology heists ever’

Published 1:45 PM, January 16, 2017
Updated 1:45 PM, January 16, 2017

BLINDSIDED. Facebook faces a $2-billion lawsuit over claims that its virtual reality product is based on stolen tech. File photo by Glenn Chapman/AFP

MANILA, Philippines – Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, January 17, US time, will be testifying in court to answer allegations that the social network’s virtual reality company, Oculus Rift, uses stolen technology.

The lawsuit is valued at a whopping $2 billion, the same amount that Facebook bought Oculus for back in 2014.

The plaintiff, game maker Zenimax, claims that a former employee, John Carmack, took proprietary software and trade secrets to Oculus when he was hired there as the chief technology officer.

At Zenimax, Carmack was the lead of his own studio, iD Software, known for making the games Doom and Quake .

Zenimax claims that through the hiring of Carmack and 5 other iD Software employees, Oculus ripped off their technologies and used these on the development of Oculus products.

A lawyer from the plaintiff’s side described it as one of the biggest technology heists ever.

The lawsuit was filed two years ago, but is only culminating now in a public trial by jury, with Zuckerberg answering a few key questions.

The Facebook CEO, along with Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey and other key Oculus employees, are expected to field questions on the Oculus acquisition, how Oculus’ virtual reality headset was developed, and Carmack’s potential employee violations with Zenimax. Their upcoming court appearance was first confirmed by Business Insider .

Venture Beat also reported that Facebook tried to prevent Zuckerberg from going to the stand, saying that he shouldn’t have to answer the questions. However, the judge presiding over the case overruled the request.

Facebook has also put out its stance on the matter, saying that Zenimax only filed the lawsuit because it missed out on investing in Oculus, a company on the rise given the potential of the virtual reality market. – Rappler.com