Issues in the illegal transference of US information technologies

Abstract

US intellectual property (IP) is a key target of numerous other countries and individuals. Of specific interest to outsiders are technological resources. Illegally transferring information can range from the extreme of the often‐glamorized international espionage to the more traditional and common gathering of competitive intelligence (CI). This paper will review the key issues in the illegal transference of information technologies from the USA, will outline the role of other countries involved, and will discuss the impact on key, targeted industries. In particular the illegal attempts to procure key intellectual properties from technology firms will be discussed. In addition, the paper will distinguish between corporate intelligence, espionage, and economic espionage.