BEIJING — Tesla has settled a lawsuit towards a former worker who copied the supply code of the electric-vehicle maker’s Autopilot know-how, in accordance with a U.S. district courtroom submitting dated April 15.

Tesla filed the lawsuit in 2019, saying its worker Cao Guangzhi, who labored at Tesla for 2 years, copied the supply code earlier than in January 2019 becoming a member of XMotors, the U.S. unit of Chinese language EV maker Xpeng.

Phrases of the settlement, which included a financial cost made by Cao to Tesla, weren’t disclosed. Tesla didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Tesla’s Autopilot is a driver-assistance system that handles some driving duties and permits drivers to take their arms off the steering wheel, although the corporate emphasizes it nonetheless requires driver supervision and doesn’t make the automobile autonomous.

Tesla has a manufacturing unit in Shanghai, placing it in direct competitors with Xpeng and different Chinese language firms on the earth’s largest EV market.

An announcement to Reuters on behalf of Cao from his authorized consultant confirmed the settlement and mentioned Cao had by no means accessed any Tesla information after he left Tesla or supplied Tesla data to XMotors or anybody else.

Cao later left XMotors, the corporate advised Reuters in a press release on Friday.

XMotors, which was not a celebration within the case, mentioned it revered mental property rights and relied on its in-house developed proprietary R&D and mental property.