WASHINGTON (Oct. 20, 2012) — The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted South Korean chemicals firm Kolon Industries Inc. and five of its employees for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to DuPont Co.'s Kevlar and Teijin Ltd.'s Twaron para-aramid fibers.
The indictments come a little more than a year after DuPont was awarded almost $920 million in a related trade-secrets lawsuit against Seoul-based Kolon. Kolon allegedly obtained confidential information about production of DuPont's Kevlar-brand and Teijin's Twaron-brand para-aramid fibers between 2002 and 2009 from former employees of both firms, Justice Department officials said in an Oct. 18 news release. Kolon then used this information to produce its own Heracron-brand para-amid fibers.
"Kolon is accused of engaging in a massive industrial espionage campaign that allowed it to bring Heracron quickly to the market and compete directly with Kevlar," U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said in the release.
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