DoJ charges scientists with conspiracy to steal trade secrets
The US Department of Justice ( DoJ) has charged two scientists with attempting to steal trade secrets from the Water Institute of the Gulf, a research nonprofit.
On Wednesday, June 5, the DoJ said former employees of the Water Institute, Kelin Hu and Ehab Meselhe, were caught in the act of attempting to steal trade secrets from the organisation.
Meselhe is a US citizen and Hu is a Chinese national living in the US. The pair were also charged with computer fraud and abuse.
The Water Institute focuses its study on storms, rising sea levels and other coastal threats.
One key component of its work is a “highly valuable and closely protected” computer programme which allows the institute to project how the natural environment of the Mississippi Delta will change over time.
According to the DoJ, Meselhe and Hu attempted to download this programme onto their own personal smart devices and then “misappropriate those trade secrets for their own economic benefit”.
Meselhe allegedly instructed Hu on which computer files to copy, when to copy them and how to share them with Meselhe so as to avoid being caught by the Water Institute.
Hu was attempting to download the files when he was caught in the act, according to the DoJ.
US attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, Brandon J Fremin, said IP theft will not be tolerated, especially where the theft is from a research institution whose purpose is to best protect citizens for natural disasters.
“Businesses, universities, and many other organizations like the Water Institute invest tremendous amounts of time, talent and money in creating proprietary information to advance their various missions – they should be protected too,” Fremin added.
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