Ports

Freightmate settles trade secrets dispute with Flexport over confidential documents

Freight-tech startup Freightmate has acknowledged acquiring and using confidential Flexport shipping documents in a settlement approved by a California federal court. The agreement concludes a trade secrets case that raised questions about data ownership in logistics software development. Freightmate and co-founders Bryan Lacaillade and Yingwei Zhao admitted to acquiring and using approximately 2,000 confidential Flexport shipping documents. Zhao also acknowledged obtaining confidential Flexport information classified as trade secrets. Both founders conceded they knew or should have known the document acquisition violated their agreements with their former employer. The settlement followed a ruling that Freightmate failed to preserve electronic evidence relevant to the litigation. The court determined that Flexport had not proved intentional evidence destruction, though the case raised significant questions about data handling practices in the freight technology sector.