A former Samsung engineer violated the Law on Prevention of Unfair Competition and Protection of Trade Secrets. The investigation revealed that he sold Samsung's technological developments to Chinese companies between 2018 and 2020.
The ex-researcher was brought to court but was released on bail as the duration of his arrest expired in March. However, he was taken back into custody and was convicted last Thursday. Judge Ha Sang-jae stated that individuals attempting to steal the country's advanced technologies should be strictly punished. The accused was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
“The accused party misappropriated technology in which the company invested significant amounts of money over an extended period, deserving condemnation. Severe punishment is necessary to protect the nation’s advanced technologies. No circumstances were presented that could sufficiently justify considering a suspension of the accused's sentence.”
In October of last year, the former Samsung employee was charged with illegally obtaining optical systems for ELA (excimer laser annealing) technology. This technology is used in the manufacturing of Samsung's OLED panels and other solutions. After his departure, the former engineer founded a display manufacturing company based in South Korea and China, intending to smuggle OLED technology from their company and sell it to competitors. The value of these technologies is estimated to be around $25 million.
In addition to the former employee, five individuals were charged in August 2020 for colluding with the accused. Three of the five worked at Samsung and received sentences of 2 to 3 years in prison, while the other two received probationary sentences.
Source: wccftech
Comments (0)
There are no comments for now