<p class="title">Anthony Levandowski, a pioneer in self-driving car technology, was criminally charged on Tuesday with stealing trade secrets from his former employer Google before joining rival Uber Technologies Inc.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 33-count indictment made public by the U.S. Department of Justice largely mirrors allegations that the Waymo unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc, where Levandowski had worked, made in a 2017 civil lawsuit against Uber, which later settled.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His lawyers said Levandowski stole nothing, and that they looked forward to proving his innocence at trial.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski, 39, pleaded not guilty to the charges through one of his lawyers, at an arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins in San Jose, California.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The judge set a preliminary bail package of $300,000 cash and the pledging as collateral of two properties worth $2 million. Another hearing to set final bail terms was scheduled for Sept. 4, as government lawyers said they needed more time to assess Levandowski's finances.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski surrendered his U.S. and French passports and will wear and ankle bracelet to monitor his whereabouts. A prosecutor expressed concern at the arraignment that Levandowski might be a flight risk.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The defendant, who wore a blue sport jacket and black jeans as his plea was entered, could face up to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski's prosecution is one of Silicon Valley's highest-profile trade secret theft cases, as engineers race to develop technology for self-driving vehicles, which industry experts view as a $1 trillion market opportunity within three decades.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prosecutors accused Levandowski of stealing materials in late 2015 and early 2016 related to Waymo's self-driving car technology.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They said he did this after deciding to leave and form his own self-driving company, Ottomotto, which Uber later bought.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The alleged stolen materials included details related to Lidar, a crucial sensor technology, according to the indictment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All people are free to change jobs, U.S. Attorney David Anderson said at a news conference. "But what we cannot do is stuff our pockets on the way out the door."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Anderson declined to answer a reporter's question on whether Uber could also face any criminal charges. An Uber spokesman said the company had cooperated with the government throughout its investigation and would continue to do so.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski left Waymo in early 2016 and eventually took over Uber's self-driving car project before being fired.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"For more than a decade, Anthony Levandowski has been an industry-leading innovator in self-driving technologies," and the government's case is a "rehash" of discredited claims, his lawyer Miles Ehrlich told reporters at the courthouse.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Lawyers for Levandowski said the downloads in question occurred while their client was still working at Waymo, and that he was authorized to use the information.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pronto, a self-driving software company that Levandowski co-founded in 2018, said in a statement it replaced him as chief executive with Robbie Miller, who had been chief safety officer. It also said it was "fully supportive" of Levandowski and his family.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Legal battles involving Levandowski have cost Uber precious time on its self-driving car project, seen as important to its long-term profitability.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski did not testify at the trial between Waymo and Uber before they settled, and has not spoken publicly about it.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The lawsuit was another public controversy for Uber, which was trying to emerge from scandals under former Chief Executive Travis Kalanick, including over how it treated female employees.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kalanick had called self-driving cars an "existential" threat for the ride-hailing company.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prosecutors said there remain legal limits to competition.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Silicon Valley is not the Wild West," FBI special agent in charge John Bennett said at a news conference. "The fast pace and competitive environment does not mean federal laws don't apply or they can be ignored."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Waymo said it appreciated prosecutors' work on the case. "We have always believed competition should be fueled by innovation," a spokeswoman said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Alphabet shares closed down 36 cents at $1,170.82, while Uber fell 20 cents to $33.11.</p>
<p class="title">Anthony Levandowski, a pioneer in self-driving car technology, was criminally charged on Tuesday with stealing trade secrets from his former employer Google before joining rival Uber Technologies Inc.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 33-count indictment made public by the U.S. Department of Justice largely mirrors allegations that the Waymo unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc, where Levandowski had worked, made in a 2017 civil lawsuit against Uber, which later settled.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His lawyers said Levandowski stole nothing, and that they looked forward to proving his innocence at trial.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski, 39, pleaded not guilty to the charges through one of his lawyers, at an arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins in San Jose, California.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The judge set a preliminary bail package of $300,000 cash and the pledging as collateral of two properties worth $2 million. Another hearing to set final bail terms was scheduled for Sept. 4, as government lawyers said they needed more time to assess Levandowski's finances.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski surrendered his U.S. and French passports and will wear and ankle bracelet to monitor his whereabouts. A prosecutor expressed concern at the arraignment that Levandowski might be a flight risk.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The defendant, who wore a blue sport jacket and black jeans as his plea was entered, could face up to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski's prosecution is one of Silicon Valley's highest-profile trade secret theft cases, as engineers race to develop technology for self-driving vehicles, which industry experts view as a $1 trillion market opportunity within three decades.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prosecutors accused Levandowski of stealing materials in late 2015 and early 2016 related to Waymo's self-driving car technology.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They said he did this after deciding to leave and form his own self-driving company, Ottomotto, which Uber later bought.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The alleged stolen materials included details related to Lidar, a crucial sensor technology, according to the indictment.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All people are free to change jobs, U.S. Attorney David Anderson said at a news conference. "But what we cannot do is stuff our pockets on the way out the door."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Anderson declined to answer a reporter's question on whether Uber could also face any criminal charges. An Uber spokesman said the company had cooperated with the government throughout its investigation and would continue to do so.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski left Waymo in early 2016 and eventually took over Uber's self-driving car project before being fired.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"For more than a decade, Anthony Levandowski has been an industry-leading innovator in self-driving technologies," and the government's case is a "rehash" of discredited claims, his lawyer Miles Ehrlich told reporters at the courthouse.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Lawyers for Levandowski said the downloads in question occurred while their client was still working at Waymo, and that he was authorized to use the information.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pronto, a self-driving software company that Levandowski co-founded in 2018, said in a statement it replaced him as chief executive with Robbie Miller, who had been chief safety officer. It also said it was "fully supportive" of Levandowski and his family.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Legal battles involving Levandowski have cost Uber precious time on its self-driving car project, seen as important to its long-term profitability.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Levandowski did not testify at the trial between Waymo and Uber before they settled, and has not spoken publicly about it.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The lawsuit was another public controversy for Uber, which was trying to emerge from scandals under former Chief Executive Travis Kalanick, including over how it treated female employees.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Kalanick had called self-driving cars an "existential" threat for the ride-hailing company.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prosecutors said there remain legal limits to competition.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Silicon Valley is not the Wild West," FBI special agent in charge John Bennett said at a news conference. "The fast pace and competitive environment does not mean federal laws don't apply or they can be ignored."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Waymo said it appreciated prosecutors' work on the case. "We have always believed competition should be fueled by innovation," a spokeswoman said in a statement.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Alphabet shares closed down 36 cents at $1,170.82, while Uber fell 20 cents to $33.11.</p>