新日鉄技術流出 巨額和解金が戒めた不正行為

The Yomiuri Shimbun
POSCO ends up paying high price over alleged theft of technology info
新日鉄技術流出　巨額和解金が戒めた不正行為

How to prevent leaks of trade secrets, including proprietary technology information, to maintain international competitiveness is a major challenge for businesses.
　国際競争力を維持するため、独自の技術情報など、営業秘密の漏洩ろうえいをどう防ぐのか。企業にとって大きな課題である。

A settlement has been reached over the damages lawsuits that Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. filed in Japan and overseas against major South Korean steelmaker POSCO and its subsidiaries over the alleged illicit acquisition of steel sheet production technology. The settlement called for POSCO to pay ¥30 billion.
　新日鉄住金が、韓国の鉄鋼最大手ポスコに鋼板技術を盗用されたとして、損害賠償を求めていた訴訟で、和解が成立した。ポスコが新日鉄住金に３００億円の和解金を支払う。

According to the leading Japanese steelmaker, POSCO approached a former employee of Nippon Steel Corp., one of the two predecessors of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, and got him to leak the technology information illicitly in return for an enormous amount of money.
　新日鉄住金によると、ポスコは、旧新日鉄の元社員に働きかけ、多額の報酬を払う見返りに、技術情報を不正に流出させた。

The theft allegedly targeted cutting-edge technology for producing electrical steel sheets. Steel sheets of this kind are used for manufacturing parts of such familiar products as transformers and mobile phones.
　狙われたのは、電磁鋼板と呼ばれる最先端の鉄鋼製品だ。変圧器や携帯電話の部品など、身近な製品にも使われている。

POSCO had insisted that it manufactured the products with its own technology, but finally agreed to pay a huge settlement, exceeding half its annual profits. This can be regarded as a de facto victory for Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal.
　ポスコは、独自の技術で製造したと主張していたが、最終的に、年間利益の５０％を超える巨額の和解金の支払いに応じた。新日鉄住金の事実上の勝訴と言えよう。

It is highly significant that the practice of illegally acquiring and exploiting the secret information of rival companies to earn profits has created the feeling both at home and abroad that those who do so end up paying a high price eventually.
　ライバル企業の秘密情報を不正に入手して盗用し、利益を稼ぐ。こうした違法行為が、結局は大きな代償を伴うことを内外に印象付けた意義は大きい。

The alleged theft came to light following the testimony of a former POSCO researcher arrested by South Korean investigative authorities on suspicion of leaking information to a Chinese steelmaker. The former researcher also revealed the information leak from Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal.
　今回の問題は、中国の製鉄会社への情報漏洩容疑で韓国の捜査当局に逮捕されたポスコの元研究員が、新日鉄住金からの元社員による漏洩も証言したことで、たまたま明るみに出た。

Behind-the-scenes industrial espionage targeted at Japanese firms has been increasing. According to the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, there were 540 cases of corporate information leaks in fiscal 2013, five times the figure for fiscal 2009.
　水面下では、日本企業を狙った産業スパイ事件が増えている。経済産業省によると、２０１３年度の企業の情報漏洩件数は、０９年度の５倍の５４０件に上る。

Concern about brain drain

In a conspicuous trend, businesses of emerging economies are said to offer favorable terms of employment for Japanese engineers who have retired due to corporate restructuring or a mandatory age limit, and talk them into leaking information. Given the continued suspension of all nuclear power plants in Japan, concern has been increasing about a brain drain of nuclear-related engineers to China, South Korea and other countries.
　新興国の企業が、リストラや定年で退職した日本人技術者に好待遇を提示し、取り込む動きが目立つという。日本が原子力発電所の稼働ゼロを続けていたことで、関連技術者が中国や韓国などに流出する懸念も強まっている。

Many Japanese companies are passive about taking legal action, as they view the leakage of trade secrets as their own shame. The revised Unfair Competition Prevention Law, which was enacted in July, makes it mandatory for accused companies to prove that the technology information in question was not acquired illicitly for production, a legal step to lessen the burden on plaintiff companies.
　営業秘密の漏洩を身内の恥などと判断し、提訴に消極的な企業が多い。７月に成立した改正不正競争防止法は、訴える企業の負担軽減のため、被告の企業に、情報を不正に入手して生産した事実がないことの立証責任を負わせた。

The maximum possible fine against businesses or individuals for illicit utilization of trade secrets has been raised to ¥1 billion.
　営業秘密を不正に利用した企業や個人に対する罰金も、最大１０億円にまで引き上げた。

To prevent leaks, it is essential to make the revised law function effectively. Businesses must also pay more attention to managing information.
　漏洩防止のため、改正法を有効に機能させることが大切だ。
　加えて、情報管理に対する企業の意識向上も欠かせまい。

Companies must conclude non-disclosure agreements with their employees and retirees requiring them not to leak trade secrets to rival firms. The number of employees with access to secret information must be limited as much as possible.
　営業秘密をライバル企業に漏らさないよう従業員や退職者に約束させる秘密保持契約の締結を徹底する。機密情報にアクセスできる社員を可能な限り限定する。

We hope information leakage will be prevented through such measures.
　そうした取り組みにより、被害を未然に防止したい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 2, 2015)