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Feds Bust Chinese Firm's Hybrid Car Data Heist
coondoggie writes "An FBI investigation has led a Michigan couple to be charged with stealing hybrid car information from GM to use in a Chinese auto outfit. A federal indictment charged Yu Qin, aka Yu Chin, 49, and his wife, Shanshan Du, aka Shannon Du, 51, of Troy, Michigan with conspiracy to possess trade secrets without authorization, unauthorized possession of trade secrets, and wire fraud. One of the individuals was also charged with obstruction of justice, said Barbara McQuade, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan in a statement. GM estimates that the value of the stolen documents is over $40 million."
Umm, don't we want China to steal all the GM tech they possibly can, so they won't be competitive either?
sooner or later this "secret" would have ended up at the chinese manufacturing plant.
No, they would be busting the US (and other entities) of their segment of the Chinese and Asian markets.
For instance, Buick is a huge brand in China
Bit of a joke? What exactly would that be?
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/environment/2008-05-11-hybrids-gas-prices_N.htm
I've owned a 2006 Civic Hybrid for the past four years and calculate the savings based on my driving habits and the cost of gas every year. It recouped its cost over a year ago and has currently saved me well over $1000. It also pollutes less. So...why is this a joke?
This story is tagged "patents", but it's not about patents. The copied data was a trade secret. Patents are by definition publicly published information. Trade secrets are different. Patents are easily abusable government monopolies that often violate free speech. Actual industrial secrets are essential to remaining competitive, as this case demonstrates. It's cheaper, faster and less risky for a Chinese (or any other) corporation to copy the data that GM (or anyone else) produced over a period of time and at a significant cost, than it is for that competitor to produce its own. The secret was violated by violating agreements and other deception.
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make install -not war
The Japanese arent stupid enough to let it happen. Only in America do we open our doors to anyone and give everything away.
"Men willingly believe what they wish." - Julius Caesar
Right. Because manufacturing isn't dirty. And construction isn't dirty. And transportation isn't dirty. Newsflash: You can have processes that aren't that environmentally friendly, but with proper toxin containment and material handling procedures, still operate in an environmentally responsible way.
they flew all the way from China to America to steal hybrid plans.
They could have just gone to Japan and stole from Toyota, much closer to home....
In America, hiring Chinese people is not unusual. In Japan, it is. Americans view racism as a very bad thing, mostly due to our history of slavery. Japan is not the USA.
"You want to know how to help your kids? Leave them the fuck alone." -George Carlin
Risking jail time for a 'trade secret' (which seems to carry more weight than national secrets that might be protecting lives) seems to somewhat pointless. Why not just wait until GM implements whatever super-secret-mega-tech in a vehicle and then reverse engineer it? Once GM 'publish' it in this form without patent protection it seems to me it is fair game.
Patent litigation: A doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction... in which everyone seems willing to push the button
Asians eh? Warning, you prejudice might be showing. I'm an "Asian" but I am not offended by your comment. This is because, until very recently in human history, copying what others created is the norm. Be it in language, music, food, vehicles or weapons. You after all got the Chinese to thank for gunpowder, among other things. I don't recall Europeans paying the Chinese any royalties on that.