US continue to promote the topic of intellectual property violations by Beijing. On April 8, Chinese national Xiang Haitao, who was employed by the American agricultural company Mansanto has been sentenced to 29 months in prison and a $150,000 fine for allegedly conspiring to steal trade secrets. According to the investigators, Xiang Haitao was trying to hand over to the Chinese government a copy of a Mansanto algorithm, which is used in data collection and storage and helps to increase agricultural productivity. On April 9, a court has found professor Feng Tao of the University of Kansas guilty of fraud and providing false information. Prosecutors alleged that Feng Tao concealed his affiliation with the Chinese Fuzhou University when he applied for the American government grant for research in the field of renewable energy and shale gas. This way he withheld an information about a conflict of interest and illegally received financing. Now he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division Matthew Olsen propagandistically declared on this subject, that a business espionage “undermines” a competitive ability of the American companies and carries a threat to the US national security.
A number of experts emphasizes that the both cases were initiated under the US Department of Justice effort to counter Chinese espionage in American businesses - the so-called China Initiative. (By the way, on February 23, the initiative was officially ended due to allegations of racial discrimination by human rights groups). Experts also note the importance of building up efforts to counter Chinese espionage. The annual damage of such activities is estimated roughly by $600bln. Therefore, a group of parliamentarians led by senator Marco Rubio has submitted relevant draft laws for consideration by both houses of the US Parliament. Republicans offered to resume the China Initiative and this time to pay special attention to the activity of “the Chinese Communist Party agents” in the US. Moreover, according to the proposed draft laws competent departments are required to report annually to the Congress on the measures taken to protect the critical infrastructure (military facilities, universities, laboratories) and to deal with a business espionage. In general, all these measures fit perfectly into the framework of the US attempts to deter Chinese influence in different areas. The work in this direction is conducted consistently and methodically.

  • bruhbeans
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    62 years ago

    “Intellectual property” is just a fancy way to hold a gun to people’s heads to threaten them against saying your secret words. The US economy lost $600bn per above due to people saying secret words. Say secret words, make rich people cry.

    China holds the position of strength here, allowing the reuse and sharing of secret words, rather than pissing away resources in a futile attempt to protect them.

  • @pingveno
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    12 years ago

    Huh, industrial espionage. Well, play stupid games win stupid prizes.

  • @angarabebesi
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    12 years ago

    Intellectual property should not exist. It holds back growth, progress and innovation.