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SunSeeker

(51,550 posts)
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 06:35 AM Jun 2013

U.S. says Chinese wind turbine firm stole trade secrets

Source: cnn.com

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged a Chinese wind turbine firm and two of its employees, alleging the group stole trade secrets from an American supplier in an act of "attempted corporate homicide."

The Chinese company -- Sinovel -- is one of the country's largest producers of wind turbines. It is accused of encouraging an employee of U.S.-based AMSC to steal copyrighted source code from a computer in Wisconsin for use in its turbines.

"The fact that Sinovel has exported stolen American intellectual property from China back into the United States -- less than 40 miles from our global headquarters -- shows not only a blatant disrespect for intellectual property but a disregard for international trade law," AMSC CEO Daniel McGahn said in a statement.

PM3000, the software in question, helps regulate the flow of electricity from turbines to electrical grids. The theft resulted in a loss of $800 million for AMSC, according to the indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in Wisconsin. Some 500 AMSC employees have lost their jobs following Sinovel's "egregious and unlawful behavior," McGahn said.


Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/28/news/companies/china-wind-sinovel/index.html

23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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U.S. says Chinese wind turbine firm stole trade secrets (Original Post) SunSeeker Jun 2013 OP
Attempted Corporate Homicide????? fasttense Jun 2013 #1
Corporations are people. GeorgeGist Jun 2013 #4
I was going to post a similar reaction... Earth_First Jun 2013 #6
Will the punishment be a corporate execution? L0oniX Jun 2013 #12
I don't think he meant it literally. The theft was designed to "kill off the business", it wouldn't okaawhatever Jun 2013 #20
If you can't invent it, steal it... BadtotheboneBob Jun 2013 #2
If only the federal government had a program to counter Chinese cyber crime Kolesar Jun 2013 #3
How do you know such a program doesn't exist? Brother Buzz Jun 2013 #17
Well, I did put up the :dry: sign Kolesar Jun 2013 #19
There is a firm called Mandiant that made huge breakthroughs on catching China spying. It's not okaawhatever Jun 2013 #21
US and NY Times were working with Mandiant Kolesar Jun 2013 #22
The tip of an iceberg. That is why US-China so-called "mutual" cyber spying is a big deception... JackN415 Jun 2013 #5
How do you know this for sure cojoel Jun 2013 #7
Just do some research into it. If you don't have time, google it and read a few articles. JackN415 Jun 2013 #8
You can ask the NSA can't ya? I'll bet they know all about it ...erm hmmm L0oniX Jun 2013 #13
That's exactly the effect they want. They have planted the seed of doubt. You can look at tons of okaawhatever Jun 2013 #23
And if Snowden was so concerned about American civil liberties... Blue State Bandit Jun 2013 #10
Quelle surprise......... Beacool Jun 2013 #9
What does it matter - we're not using the technology (much) ... Myrina Jun 2013 #11
That's what I was thinking... secondvariety Jun 2013 #14
THANKS, SNOWDEN!! bullwinkle428 Jun 2013 #15
I know someone who went to a Japanese trade fair and saw a product he was developing, for sale. Gregorian Jun 2013 #16
china used to be the technology leader in the known world madrchsod Jun 2013 #18
 

fasttense

(17,301 posts)
1. Attempted Corporate Homicide?????
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 06:52 AM
Jun 2013

Really? Is there such a charge? Basically they are accusing this guy of murder of a corporation. Wow, stunning. A corporation can't really be killed, this is merely theft, nothing more nothing less. Something got stolen from them and they want the guy prosecuted for murder.

Capitalism on a rampage it seems. Now corporations will be accusing former employees of poisoning if they give out bad info. How about assault when the corporations stocks decline?

Corporations are all fine and dandy with using and abusing China's cheap labor. They are fine and dandy with doing business with the totalitarian Communist country but when China does what China seems to always do and encourages spies all of a sudden they are accusing people of murder over theft. You get what you deserve when you allow a totalitarian government to come into your country and trade.

Capitalism run amok.

okaawhatever

(9,461 posts)
20. I don't think he meant it literally. The theft was designed to "kill off the business", it wouldn't
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 09:54 PM
Jun 2013

be the first time for the Chinese. They have done that with competing companies or a company to which it would own a lot of money for royalties. There was an excellent case of that with a guy in California who designed a software censoring program for children. Here's a link to the story. He has a 2.2 Billion dollar judgment against China but won't be able to collect it.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/22/small-businesses-big-targets-for-cyber-snoops/

It's fox news but it was the first one I found. Very interesting story. Scary, really.

BadtotheboneBob

(413 posts)
2. If you can't invent it, steal it...
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 07:03 AM
Jun 2013

Hell, even their new drone and jet fighters look just like ours...
"PARIS — China’s models of military planes at the Paris Air Show bear resemblance to U.S. aircraft, drawing attention to the rising concern in the Defense Department that the country is using cyber espionage to obtain sensitive defense technology."
http://defensetech.org/2013/06/20/chinas-fighters-drone-look-like-u-s-aircraft/#comment-384735
Coincidence? I think not...

Kolesar

(31,182 posts)
3. If only the federal government had a program to counter Chinese cyber crime
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 07:06 AM
Jun 2013

We could raid their computers and figure out how the Chinese government is planning to attack our US corporations.
:dry:

Brother Buzz

(36,423 posts)
17. How do you know such a program doesn't exist?
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 01:50 PM
Jun 2013

Siemens' Stuxnet worm, reworked a bit, would do the trick but the Chinese are to smart to fall for that; Stuxnet was a one trick pony.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet

Kolesar

(31,182 posts)
19. Well, I did put up the :dry: sign
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 07:16 PM
Jun 2013

Mildly sarcastic
Didn't Snowden compromise our program to spy on the Chinese?

okaawhatever

(9,461 posts)
21. There is a firm called Mandiant that made huge breakthroughs on catching China spying. It's not
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 10:01 PM
Jun 2013

pre-emptive so much as it's helped identify exactly where the info is coming from. President Obama finally publicly blamed China, because he had enough info. Since the buildings and networks were identified, the gov't has found out a great deal more about their hacking. The summit with Xi in California earlier this month was for the purpose of dealing with that. Obama's was planning on confronting China and show him the evidence, which apparently was beyond conclusive, and get cooperation on change. All of that was the plan, until the day before when Snowden released the info. Any chance Snowden asking the Washington Post for a guarantee of publishing his info within 72 hours coincidental?

Kolesar

(31,182 posts)
22. US and NY Times were working with Mandiant
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 10:08 PM
Jun 2013

A story was published about a month ago. I had a security training session at work and learned that my employer had been using Mandiant for years.

Yes, it looks like Snowden was intentionally sabotaging our efforts.

 

JackN415

(924 posts)
5. The tip of an iceberg. That is why US-China so-called "mutual" cyber spying is a big deception...
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 07:31 AM
Jun 2013

Last edited Fri Jun 28, 2013, 09:12 AM - Edit history (1)

The US does not engage in corporate, economic hacking to steal technology or trade secrets. At most, even if (BIG IF) the allegation by Snowden were true, the spying was for national security either against terrorism or about China military expansion.

In reverse, China routinely steals US intellectual properties, trade secrets, and snoops on various US organizations for other economically significant confidential information.

The news world and laypersons don't care the difference. Snowden provided the Chinese a perfect smokescreen to derail the US effort to confront China during the Obama-Xi JinPing summit. If he didn't get any compensation from the Chinese, it would be stupid of him. What is worse than a traitor is a stupid traitor who didn't get a dime.

This is a same as if a neighbor installs a security camera on his fence to make sure the neighbor's dog doesn't stray into his yard. The neighbor installs secret camera in his house, bedrooms, hacks into his bank account... and says: you spy on me and so, why do you accuse me of spying on you?

They are not the same.

The Chinese cyberhacking military unit may get trade secrets from Cisco or Apple for examples. They would give them to Huawei. The US doesn't spy on Huawei to give the info to US corporations.

cojoel

(957 posts)
7. How do you know this for sure
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 09:22 AM
Jun 2013

I don't know what you are saying is not true. I am just not sure anymore/

 

JackN415

(924 posts)
8. Just do some research into it. If you don't have time, google it and read a few articles.
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 10:15 AM
Jun 2013

like this:

https://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&q=china+military+hackers&oq=China+militray+hack&gs_l=hp.1.1.0i13l3.2276.9353.0.11728.25.20.3.2.2.0.196.1792.17j3.20.0...0.0...1c.1.18.psy-ab.PJBHMMTO_tI&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48572450,d.eWU&fp=6e1b4cbf8831ab1e&biw=1085&bih=425

It takes a person years of following of this topic to get an accurate picture and an assessment.
Many have done that and you can read their writings as well.

This is not a topic for casual unconcerned readers.

 

L0oniX

(31,493 posts)
13. You can ask the NSA can't ya? I'll bet they know all about it ...erm hmmm
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 11:09 AM
Jun 2013

I guess the NSA didn't know? Wow ...what are we unknowingly paying for?

okaawhatever

(9,461 posts)
23. That's exactly the effect they want. They have planted the seed of doubt. You can look at tons of
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 10:13 PM
Jun 2013

computer magazines or business articles and find info about this that pre-date anything Snowden did. My brother was telling me how bad it was over ten years ago. He was a computer engineer at Research Triangle Park.

Blue State Bandit

(2,122 posts)
10. And if Snowden was so concerned about American civil liberties...
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 10:50 AM
Jun 2013

he would be detailing NSA operations against OSW or details behind the Sibel Edmonds' allegations.

All the details I hear are regarding operations against foreign entities and passing anecdotes about US citizens caught up on the fringes.

I don't like the program, and believe it does not offer proper protections against unlawful/unconstitutional abuses, but last I heard, China is not covered by the US Constitution, and Moscow is no bastion of civil liberties.

Beacool

(30,247 posts)
9. Quelle surprise.........
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 10:27 AM
Jun 2013

The Chinese hacking our industrial secrets? Say it ain't so.

That's why Snowden flying off to a Chinese dominion was so egregious. They, and the Russians too, have been spying on us for years.

Myrina

(12,296 posts)
11. What does it matter - we're not using the technology (much) ...
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 10:52 AM
Jun 2013

... if China wants to develop/expand the industry while we choke on petroleum, good for them. Sucks to be us.

Gregorian

(23,867 posts)
16. I know someone who went to a Japanese trade fair and saw a product he was developing, for sale.
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 01:19 PM
Jun 2013

He was shocked beyond belief since he hadn't even gotten the thing out of development stage.

We're being watched. Lots of little people in China are stealing stuff from us.

madrchsod

(58,162 posts)
18. china used to be the technology leader in the known world
Fri Jun 28, 2013, 02:19 PM
Jun 2013

now they have been reduced to stealing and having others engineer their technology

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