Another sad deal for drag racing. If the agency that issued the arrest warrant has proof that Wayne took physical items that were the property of Herbert Racing, there might be something to this.
That being said . . . unless there was a clause in a written contract stating that notes written by Wayne or contained in computer files are the specific property of Herbert Racing, those notes and/or files may be Wayne's intellectual property.
In our industry (and many others) information created by our company and not specifically shown on an invoice as being paid for by the customer legally remains our intellectual property. Long story short - pi$$ing match ensues - customer can not obtain the information.
If this about tuneup information that left with Wayne, an attorney should respond to these allegations. Considering that there is going to be a shortage of Pro tuners next year, if I was a crew chief, I would want an ironclad contract stating who has the rights to tuneup information. Or, I would make sure that all of this information was only on a computer that was my sole property and remained in my control at all times.
Unless this about the theft of property, this is going to get ugly and could have far reaching implications. Does a team owner have the rights to a crew chief's thought processes and creativity? After this mess winds its way through the legal system, we may have an answer.
