Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc. v. Collision Sciences Inc.

Case No. 01-21-0016-2306
Docket: 69868148
Type of Case: Commercial Arbitration
Date of Introduction: August 20, 2021
Status of the Case: Concluded

(Plymouth, Michigan USA - June 6, 2025) Bosch prevails in arbitration against Collision Sciences Inc. (CSI) over unauthorized use of Bosch's Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Tool Software.

Bosch recently prevailed in an arbitration against Collision Sciences Inc. (CSI) regarding the
unauthorized use of Bosch's Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Tool Software. The arbitrator found that CSI had breached the End User License Agreement (EULA) by using the Bosch CDR Tool Software in unauthorized ways, including to support its own competing EDR readout tool.

As part of the arbitration, the Arbitrator required an audit of CSI’s usage of the Bosch CDR Tool, which revealed that:  

• CSI incorporated the Bosch CDR Tool Software into a custom software tool that allowed remote operation.
• CSI installed versions of the Bosch CDR Tool Software for which it did not have a license.
• CSI utilized versions of the Bosch CDR Tool Software licensed to third parties.

After extensive discovery, an arbitration hearing was held in September 2024. In January, 2025, the Arbitrator issued an award finding that CSI had violated the EULA, specifically finding that:

• CSI used the Bosch CDR Tool Software to verify and refine the accuracy and effectiveness of its own product in ways that competed with Bosch’s products or services, which is prohibited by the EULA;
• CSI combined its own wireless tools with Bosch's software to retrieve and interpret crash information, also contrary to the EULA; and
• CSI was responsible for the costs of the software audit due to its unauthorized use.

The Arbitrator granted Bosch an injunction against CSI, prohibiting CSI and its affiliates from using or possessing any version of the Bosch CDR Tool Software and mandating the expungement of all crash data derived from use of the Bosch CDR Tool Software after June 2019.

Bosch believes that the requirement to expunge data means that CSI should no longer be capable of supporting the retrieval or interpretation of crash data from any vehicle first supported by Bosch's software after July 9, 2019. Accordingly, Bosch believes that CSI’s CrashScan application should not be capable of supporting over 5,000 vehicle models added to the Bosch CDR Tool Software since July, 2019, and up through 2026 model year vehicles. For example, one such vehicle is the 2020 Ford Explorer, which was not based on any previously-supported model or system, was first supported by Bosch’s software in September 2019.

Due to these findings, Bosch advises customers against using CSI's EDR readout tool or any similar tools that do not base their Crash Data Readout functionality on OEM licensed
specifications and lack OEM validation. Unauthorized tools may not provide reliable or accurate data retrieval or interpretation, as they are not supported by the necessary, updated OEM specifications and validation processes.

To ensure reliable and accurate crash data retrieval, Bosch recommends continuing to use the Bosch CDR Tool Software, which is based on licensed specifications directly from the OEMs and undergoes rigorous validation by Bosch and the OEMs.

AVAILABLE ARBITRATION DOCUMENTS

Various records from the arbitration are publicly available. Below is an external link to a website that details the arbitration. This website and link are outside of Crash Data Group and are in no way affiliated with Crash Data Group:

• Jusmundi.com