Legal battle over ownership of Domino’s GPS driver tracker system ends in settlement

A long-running legal battle over the ownership of Domino’s GPS driver tracker system for pizza deliveries has ended in a settlement.

Domino's Pizza delivery bikes are seen outside a Domino's store in Brisbane. Picture: AAP

A long-running legal battle over the ownership of Domino’s GPS driver tracker system for pizza deliveries has ended in a settlement.

On its website, Domino’s says the GPS Driver Tracker was born out of thinking “how do we make our driver fleet safer?” Apart from monitoring drivers staying within the speed limit, the technology interfaces with Domino’s ordering system and lets customers watch in real-time the route the driver takes to deliver their pizza.

However the technology has been the subject of a lengthy intellectual property legal battle between Domino’s and Sydney start-up Precision Tracking which says it is the creator and owner of the technology.

After four years both Precision and Domino’s have released statements saying they have reached an agreement, which both say is confidential.

“Precision Tracking is pleased to announce that we have settled our long-running dispute with Domino’s Pizza Enterprises and Navman Wireless over the GPS Driver Tracker Technology,” it says in a statement today.

Precision Tracking says that under the agreement, all proceedings in opposition to its patents would cease, Domino’s and Navman Wireless would be entitled to operate the GPS Driver Tracker, and Precision Tracking and Delivery Command would be entitled to use their patents and technology with third parties as they see fit.

“We have retained our intellectual property and will continue doing what we do best — creating innovative and world first technology for cafes and restaurants under the Delivery Command brand,” the statement said.

“The resolution of this dispute is on mutually satisfactory terms and is the culmination of four years of very hard work.”

Precision Tracking would not comment further.

In a short three-paragraph statement, Domino’s Pizza Enterprises company secretary Craig Ryan says Domino’s will be entitled to continue using its GPS Driver Tracker technology and both Domino’s and Precision Tracking have agreed to discontinue legal claims against each other.

“DPE (Domino’s Pizza Enterprises) is satisfied with the commercial terms of the settlement which are confidential,” he says, adding that the settlement “will not have a material impact on DPE’s FY19 forecast earnings”.