U.S. Looks to Blunt Corporate Espionage

The U.S. could be signaling stepped-up prosecution of Chinese companies accused of stealing trade secrets as it filed criminal charges against one of China's largest wind-turbine manufacturers and two of its executives, experts said.

"Maybe five years ago, it was sexier to chase drug cases than trade-secret cases," said Benjamin Bai, a partner at Allen & Overy in Shanghai. However, "the political climate is brewing the perfect storm in the U.S. for prosecutions to increase."

A recent law strengthening the U.S. Economic Espionage Act will likely encourage more prosecutions, said Mr. Bai, who has represented U.S. clients on intellectual-property issues. (more)