Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of California-based Facebook, has been ordered to testify in a deposition in the ongoing case between Oculus and ZeniMax Media. Through his lawyers, Mr. Zuckerberg had asked the court to be allowed to not testify in the case.
The dispute between the two companies involves intellectual property. ZeniMax Media alleges that Oculus used its intellectual property to improve its virtual reality eyewear used for gaming. The lawsuit was filed in May 2014. In it, ZeniMax alleges that Oculus used the intellectual property after ZeniMax shared it with that company through a non-disclosure agreement. It also alleges that it was not paid any money for its use.
Oculus then allegedly used that to make its VR glasses into a commercial product that has been highly popular. Facebook acquired Oculus in March 2014 for $2 billion. Before proceeding, ZeniMax claims that Mr. Zuckerberg gained unique knowledge by personally testing the VR glass technology and valuing the business before the acquisition. Mr. Zuckerberg has indicated he shouldn't be involved in the lawsuit as he wasn't a part of either company when the software at issue was being developed.
A non-disclosure agreement is a contract in which the parties agree not to disclose or share the information they learn through their business dealings with each other. If Oculus is found to have breached the contract it had with ZeniMax, it may be ordered to pay millions in damages. Companies that believe that contracts have been breached in this manner may want to consult with their business law attorney. Upon a review of the facts, the attorney may outline the remedies that may be available.
Source: Tech Times, "Zuckerberg to testify in Oculus vs. ZeniMax Media intellectual property dispute," Alexandra Burlacu, Dec. 9, 2015
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