Judge rejects Wisk Aeros effort to block rival air taxi startup Archer from using stolen patents

A federal judge in San Francisco rejected air taxi startup Wisk Aero’s request for a preliminary injunction against rival startup Archer Aviation, as Silicon Valley’s first big “flying car” legal drama heats up.

Wisk, a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk, wanted to block Archer Aviation from using any of the 52 trade secrets it alleges were stolen. Wisk is also seeking unspecified monetary damages from Archer in a lawsuit that was filed April 6th. Federal investigators are also looking into the case.

In his ruling, US District Court Judge William Orrick wrote that Wisk’s request was “too uncertain and equivocal,” though he acknowledged that there were “some arguable indications of misappropriation.”

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