The FBI says it is investigating more than 1,000 intellectual property theft allegedly related to China.
According to ZDnet , senior officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have voiced warnings of China stealing IP (intellectual property). The FBI director said there have been more and more theft since 2018, when DOJ launched the China Initiative campaign to combat and investigate economic espionage activities by Beijing authorities.
John Brown, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Agency, said the agency had made several arrests of China’s economic espionage in the past year. At the end of the year, the FBI arrested 24 cases, higher than the same period last year (2014), which only had 15 cases.
The FBI and the Justice Department warn universities and industries that threaten security from China. Photo: Al Jazeera.
Adam Hickey – Deputy Assistant Secretary of Justice, William Evanina – Director of the Center for Counterintelligence and National Security, CEO from companies, and a number of lawyers, members from America’s largest universities also called for caution when dealing with China.
US officials say all of China’s theft is taking place based on well-planned plans from the Beijing government. They are not only targeting companies in the defense sector but also brands that manufacture food items, software or other equipment.
China also does not overlook R&D initiatives and information, cost and price data, internal strategic documents or advanced research at US universities.
“China’s efforts to steal intellectual property are not only in big cities, American technology centers like Silicon Valley in Northern California or New York, but across the country, from Alabama to Iowa. ”, Jay Town, a lawyer in North Alabama said.
Take place across the country
Justice Secretary William Barr called on the United States and its allies to invest in Nokia and Ericsson with the aim of countering Huawei’s increasingly popular presence in the 5G market – an attempt to provoke Chinese hackers. .
The number of Chinese burglaries related to U.S. technology possession is statistically counted by the years. Photo: FBI.
“China is using a variety of methods and techniques to hack networks, stealing initiatives and inventions through not only intelligence services but also state-owned enterprises, private companies, students or researchers. lifesaving and many other factors assist them in this behavior, ”said Jay.
Partnerships with companies in China often involve U.S. technology transfer. Many times, these companies continue to use American technology even after the partnership has ended, ignoring copyright or trademark registration.
U.S. officials say China is deliberately exploiting the weaknesses and openness of the academic environment and the US economy, and using its closed system to prevent American companies from entering. into the Chinese market.
Although there is no right to enter the huge Chinese market, many companies still ignore this risk and enter into partnerships with Chinese companies.
Every field is looked at
FBI officials say many companies fail to see the long-term damage they are causing themselves by handing expensive R&D works to their Chinese counterparts at low prices, to meet their business promises. here.
These companies are likely to be unable to open factories in the future due to technology theft, while all Chinese companies receive help from Beijing through grants or chapters. other government processes.
Not only that, the theft of IP and R&D takes place both in the US business and research fields, due to the openness, the little adjustment environment, besides the abundance of advanced technologies. and R&D activities.
Last month, the head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Harvard University was charged with lying about participating in China’s Thousand Talents Plan.
US officials have called on allies to invest in Nokia and Ericsson in the 5G market as an attempt to provoke Chinese hackers. Photo: Al Jazeera.
“This is one of China’s most famous talent recruitment plans. The programs are organized to attract foreign talents and experts to bring knowledge and experience to China, promoting the nation’s comprehensive development. In addition, the government rewards individuals who steal proprietary information, ”DOJ said.
US officials fear that R&D projects that receive funding from the US government carried out at Harvard may have been taken over by the Chinese government.
Other cases involve Chinese students in the United States stealing proprietary data. This group of students acts on their own or is recruited by Chinese intelligence.
The US asserts that China encourages IP theft from abroad and has a system to reward these acts. China may have used state funds to pay or finance intellectual property theft.
