(ICIS) -- US-based DuPont won a lawsuit on Wednesday for USD 919.9m (EUR 671.5m) against Korean producer Kolon Industries, which was accused of stealing trade secrets about the company's Kevlar aramid fibre. A jury found that Kolon was liable for misappropriation of trade secrets, and that its actions were willful and malicious, DuPont said.
"The size of this award is one of the largest in defence of business processes and technologies," according to a statement by Thomas Sager, DuPont general counsel.
In 2007, DuPont became concerned about Kolon's activities and notified the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce.
An FBI investigation revealed that in August 2008, three Kolon managers had flown to Richmond, the site of DuPont's Kevlar technology and business headquarters. According to the investigation, the managers flew to Richmond to obtain confidential information about DuPont process technology.
Later, the federal government charged former DuPont employee Michael Mitchell on a count of stealing trade secrets and a count of obstructing justice. Soon afterwards, Mitchell agreed to plead guilty. He was sentenced to 18 months in US federal prison.