Last year, one of the world’s largest chemical companies was awarded nearly $920 million in a trade secrets theft case against a rival manufacturer, Kolon Industries Inc., which was accused of stealing information about Kevlar brand technology to develop a competing high-strength fiber.
Now, the federal government has brought its own case, criminally charging South Korean-based Kolon and five executives with stealing secrets from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. U.S. Justice Department officials and federal prosecutors in Virginia today announced the indictment charging Kolon in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The charges, including conspiracy and trade-secret theft, were first filed under seal in late August.
