Slashdot Mirror
Former Employee Stole Ford Secrets Worth $50 Million
chicksdaddy writes "A ten year veteran of US automaker Ford pleaded guilty in federal court on November 17 to charges that he stole company secrets, including design documents, valued at between $50 million and $100 million, and shared them with his new employer: the Chinese division of a US rival of Ford's. Xiang Dong ('Mike') Yu admitted to copying some 4,000 Ford Documents to an external hard drive, including design specifications for key components of Ford automobiles, after surreptitiously taking a job with a China-based competitor in 2006. Yu, who took a job for Beijing Automotive Company in 2008, was arrested during a stopover at Chicago in October, 2009. The FBI seized his Beijing Automotive-issued laptop, and an analysis found 41 stolen Ford specification documents on the hard drive. He faces five to six years in prison and a $150,000 fine (PDF)."
Good. And before we judge if that seems too harsh a punishment, I would ask if anyone knows what the Chinese government would do to an American engineer who did the same thing to a Chinese company.
8 years
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07/04/chinese-court-sentences-geologist-tortured-state-security-agents-years-jail-1624851947/
Ford's been doing better. Over the last decade, they've built up some engineer teams in Europe (is it flamebait to say they are better because they are away from US unions?) who really are doing top notch work. The Fusion, for example, ranked #1 in its category for reliability. The Mustang has 300 horsepower at 30 MPG. I own a Honda, but if Ford continues the direction they're going, my next car may well be a Ford. Now if only they would do something about that horrid logo.....
Qxe4
"Chinese division of a US rival of Ford's."
Sounds like american companies doing it to each other, to me.
All the manufacturing companies in China must be majority owned by a local Chinese company which is owned by Chinese citizens. So it may be a joint venture partnership "division" of a US rival who owns a large chunk, but no, it is not just two US companies involved.
When trade secrets are involved it's called theft, not copyright infringement.
"Theft" is when the original owner is deprived by the action. In this case, the trade secrets were stolen, because the original owner was deprived of the secret (as its not secret any more).
It doesn't hurt to be nice.
The U.S. Economic Espionage Act of 1996, which became effective on January 1, 1997, makes theft or misappropriation of trade secrets a federal crime.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Maybe not american, still accusation is theft of state secrets: 10 years prison.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/rio-tintos-stern-hu-jailed-10-years/story-e6frg9df-1225847088979