The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a modified version of its May 22, 2026 opinion on September 10 in Versata Software, LLC v. Ford Motor Company, revising a single sentence while leaving the panel's holdings unchanged. The case arose after Ford, which had hired Versata in 2004 to develop car configuration software and licensed it under an agreement that expired in 2014, released its own competing software rather than renewing the license. A jury found Ford liable for misappropriating three trade secrets and for breaching the licensing agreement, awarding Versata approximately 22.4 million dollars for trade secret misappropriation and 82.26 million dollars for breach of contract. The district court later reduced the trade secret award to zero, citing insufficient evidence about how long independent development would have taken Ford, and cut the contract award to 3 dollars. The Federal Circuit panel held that the district court erred as a matter of law in precluding Versata from pursuing unjust enrichment damages under the Defend Trade Secrets Act and the Michigan Uniform Trade Secrets Act, reinstated the 82.26 million dollar contract verdict, rejected Ford's challenge to trade secret liability, and remanded for a new trial on trade secret damages.
US IP and Copyright 13 Sept 2026
Federal Circuit Reaffirms $82 Million Verdict Against Ford in Versata Trade Secrets Case
The Federal Circuit issued a modified opinion on September 10 revising a single sentence from its May 22 ruling in Versata Software v. Ford Motor Company, while leaving its holdings unchanged: Ford's challenge to trade secret liability fails, the jury's $82 million breach of contract verdict is reinstated, and Versata may pursue unjust enrichment damages for trade secret misappropriation.
Source: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, September 10, 2026
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