
Uber has faced a number of legal battles over its technology and organization after its recent rise to prominence. Since their inception, ride-sharing services like Uber have been among the most controversial business models [JURIST backgrounder] in recent history. In May a federal court ordered [JURIST report] the removal of an Uber engineer from the self-driving division of the company. The engineer in controversy may have stolen information from the self-driving company Waymo [corporate website] prior to his employment by Uber. Earlier in May the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued [JURIST report] a non-binding opinion finding that Uber is a transportation company subject to additional regulations and fines. Also in May the (DOJ) announced it had launched [JURIST report] a criminal investigation into Uber for the use of a software tool that helped drivers evade local transport regulators. The US Federal Trade Commission announced [JURIST report] in January that Uber agreed to pay $20 million to settle a claim that the ride-hailing company had engaged in misleading tactics to recruit new drivers.