Megan Jeschke is a Partner in Holland & Knight's
Tysons office.
Theft of trade secrets typically spurs civil actions against the
offender, but theft of trade secrets can also be prosecuted
criminally under the Economic Espionage Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1831
et seq. (the "Act") and other related statutes.
Several high-profile arrests, convictions, and indictments have
come down in recent months highlighting the Department of
Justice's active enforcement in this area.
A former scientist with GlaxoSmithKline recently pled guilty to stealing proprietary company
information regarding a developmental anti-cancer drug. Prosecutors
alleged that the scientist planned to use the information to
support her own pharmaceutical company, which was established in
her native China with the support of Chinese government funds.
