"[Dickerson's] system integrated cell phones, the Global Positioning System and automatic billing technology to allow a passenger who needed a ride to be connected to a driver with an empty seat who was going to the same destination," notes the lawsuit. "The system he envisioned would identify the passenger to the driver and vice versa, estimate connection and arrival times and automatically bill the passenger in a safe and secure manner that required no cash to change hands."

It goes on to state that more than decade after Dickerson began working on this system, Lyft was launched, and it instituted a model that was indistinguishable from what Dickerson laid out in his patent. "More than ten years after Professor Dickerson filed his patent application, Lyft was formed," it says. "The core of its business model is the transportation system of Prof. Dickerson's invention; without that system, Lyft literally cannot operate." RideApp is seeking an injunction on Lyft as well as compensatory damages. Reuters notes that while no other suits have been filed against Lyft competitors (like market leader Uber), Dickerson's lawyer says he "plans to enforce his rights and fully develop his invention."

A spokesperson for Lyft declined to comment on the lawsuit.