Alex Severinksy is a Russian man who came to the United States in 1978. He graduated from Ukraine's Kharkiv University of Radioelectronics in 1967 before moving on to an Electrical Engineering Ph.D. from Moscow's Institute for Precision Measurements in Radioelectronics and Physics in 1975. That's the background. Here's the important bit.
In 1994, Severinksy patented an invention he called Hyperdrive, which allows for a seamless transition between drive systems – what essentially allows hybrid vehicles to operate smoothly while switching between gas and electric power. Toyota uses a system similar to Hyperdrive in its hybrid vehicles yet the automaker states they developed this technology independent of Severinsky's research. Regardless, thanks to a lengthy lawsuit, the automaker is now forced to pay Alex Severinksy for every single hybrid vehicle it sells.
