US Accuses Chinese Telecommunications Company of Stealing Motorola Trade Secrets

The U.S. accused China-based telecommunications company Hytera Communications Corp. of conspiring to commit theft of trade secrets by working with former employees of Motorola Solutions Inc. to steal their former employer's digital mobile radio technology. Laying out the claims against Hytera in an unsealed indictment filed at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, the Department of Justice said that the former Motorola employees left Motorola to work for Hytera then lied about their intended moves in exit interviews with the Chicago-based company. On their way out the door, the former employees took proprietary and trade secret information for the DMR technology. Hytera stands accused of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets and individual counts of possession or attempted possession of stolen trade secrets. The co-defendants' names were redacted in the indictment. The Chinese firm faces a fine of three times the value of the stolen trade secrets, including expenses for research, design and other costs.