The founder of Oculus VR Inc, Palmer Luckey, has been hit by a lawsuit from one of his former employers for a breach of contract. Total Recall Technologies had originally hired Luckey to build a prototype VR headset, and the company is now saying that Luckey had run off with the information he collected from that work to make the Oculus Rift instead.
According to the filing, Luckey had been hired by Total Recall back in 2011 to design a VR headset; after which he refined the prototype throughout 2012 and 2013. However, Luckey had eventually taken the feedback and information he learnt for his own Kickstarter project – the Oculus Rift – despite having signed a confidentiality agreement that would prevent him from doing just that.
The lawsuit does not specify how much damage Total Recall is looking, but it has also named Oculus VR Inc as a defendant.
Oculus is currently owned by Facebook, which acquired the company in 2014. Neither company has commented on the lawsuit, and it is unknown if Facebook will be taking an active role in the proceedings. That being said, having the financial power of Facebook is a massive advantage for Oculus in this case; especially since the Oculus Rift is still in development and is not due for release until early 2016.
[Source: Reuters]
