Advertisement
Australia markets closed
  • ALL ORDS

    8,153.70
    +80.10 (+0.99%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,896.90
    +77.30 (+0.99%)
     
  • AUD/USD

    0.6511
    -0.0008 (-0.12%)
     
  • OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • Bitcoin AUD

    107,318.25
    -853.43 (-0.79%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • AUD/EUR

    0.6041
    +0.0007 (+0.12%)
     
  • AUD/NZD

    1.0902
    -0.0001 (-0.01%)
     
  • NZX 50

    12,105.29
    +94.63 (+0.79%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    18,254.69
    -26.15 (-0.14%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Dow Jones

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • DAX

    18,492.49
    +15.40 (+0.08%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,369.44
    +201.37 (+0.50%)
     

IN BRIEF: Former Coca-Cola engineer convicted of stealing can-coating trade secrets-edited

By Blake Brittain

(Reuters) - A Tennessee federal jury has convicted former Coca-Cola Co chemist Xiaorong (Shannon) You for stealing trade secrets related to bisphenol-A (BPA) free coatings inside drink cans.

The jury found You, who allegedly stole the trade secrets to start her own BPA-free coating company in China, guilty on Thursday of 11 counts of trade secret theft, wire fraud, economic espionage and related charges.

You, a U.S. citizen, and her Chinese corporate partner Weihai Jinhong Group allegedly received millions of dollars in Chinese government grants to support the new company.

The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment. Coca-Cola and You's attorneys Corey Shipley of Collins Shipley, PLLC, and Thomas Jessee of Jessee & Jessee didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

ADVERTISEMENT

BPA was used to coat the interior of drink cans to minimize flavor loss and prevent corrosion, until it was recently linked to health risks, including brain and cardiovascular issues.

You worked as an engineer for Coca-Cola from 2012 to 2017, and gained access there to BPA-free trade secrets belonging to BASF, Dow Chemical Company, Sherwin-Williams and others. She worked for Kingsport, Tennessee-based Eastman Chemical Co, whose trade secrets she was also convicted of stealing, from 2017 to 2018. You was arrested and indicted in 2019.

The trade secrets cost nearly $120 million to develop, according to You's indictment.

The case is United States v. You, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, No. 2:19-cr-00014.

For You: Corey Shipley of Collins Shipley, PLLC, Thomas Jessee of Jessee & Jessee.

For the U.S.: Nicholas Hunter, Matthew Walczewski, and Timothy Harker of the Department of Justice.