Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is facing a new lawsuit over allegations that it stole trade secret-protected motorsport software from its former partner. In the complaint that it filed late last month in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Prema Engineering S.r.l. claims that Lamborghini and its U.S. affiliate, Automobili Lamborghini America LLC,(collectively, “Lamborghini”) engaged in an “intentional, covert, and wrongful scheme” to steal and exploit its steering wheel “Setups” – specialized software packages central to race car performance – for use in connection with a rival racing team.
According to its April 21 complaint, Prema Engineering S.r.l. alleges that Lamborghini copied and used confidential Setups developed exclusively for the Iron Lynx team during the 2024 seasons of the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. These Setups are customized software programs used to configure the advanced steering wheels in Lamborghini’s Hypercar-class LMDh vehicles – an elite racing category comparable to Formula 1 in terms of technological sophistication and investment.
The Italian racing consultancy maintains that Lamborghini wrongfully accessed a version of its Setup software during a July 2024 testing session at Circuit of the Americas (“COTA”) in Austin, Texas. Prema alleges that the Italian luxury automaker then used that Setup without authorization, uploading it to a simulator steering wheel and conducting multiple private simulator sessions between August 29 and September 11, 2024 – in violation of agreed limitations on the use and disclosure of Prema’s proprietary software.
In one specific incident, Prema argues it loaned Lamborghini a “blank” steering wheel – free of any Setup software – in August 2024 for limited simulator testing. When the hardware was returned in October, however, Prema says it discovered the COTA test Setup installed and found usage logs showing unauthorized deployment over several weeks.
Prema further alleges that Lamborghini used the stolen Setup data to support the development of a new racing partnership with Riley Motorsports, formed just weeks before the start of the 2025 IMSA Championship season. Prema contends that the information gleaned from its software allowed Lamborghini and Riley to bypass critical engineering and testing phases that would otherwise take years to complete, granting them an unfair competitive advantage.
Vicenza, Italy-headquartered Prema claims that its Setups represent “the product of years of motorsport experience,” integrating advanced code and real-time racing data to calibrate performance variables such as tire wear, energy deployment, and fuel mapping. Each Setup, Prema asserts, is designed for specific race conditions and represents valuable intellectual property protected by trade secret laws and international copyright treaties.
With the foregoing in mind, Prema sets forth claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the Copyright Act, as well as under Texas state law for trade secret misappropriation and unlawful computer access. Prema asserts that it has suffered irreparable harm as a result of Lamborghini’s conduct and seeks injunctive relief, the return and destruction of all misappropriated data, and compensatory and punitive damages for what it characterizes as willful and malicious misappropriation.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The case comes amid a broader surge in trade secret litigation, which saw more than 1,200 cases filed in federal courts in 2024, alone – a sharp increase driven in large part by the strength and reach of the Defend Trade Secrets Act. “Companies must prioritize safeguarding proprietary information as litigation in this area continues to grow,” Brooks attorneys John Rondini, Kyle G. Konz, Reza Roghani Esfahani, and Francesca Cusumano wrote in a recent note.
As trade secrets have become an increasingly favored form of protection, especially in industries facing rapid innovation, such as motorsports and artificial intelligence, the Prema case exemplifies how valuable proprietary code and know-how – once confined to engineering departments – are central to high-stakes legal battles over competitive advantage.
The case is Prema Engineering S.r.l. v. Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A, 1:25-cv-00602 (W.D. Tex.).
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