Former chip research professor jailed for not disclosing Chinese patents
- Reference: 1655443690
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/06/17/electronics_researcher_jailed_china_patents/
- Source link:
Professor Simon Saw-Teong Ang was in 2020 indicted for wire fraud and passport fraud, with the charges arising from what the US Department of Justice [1]described as a failure to disclose “ties to companies and institutions in China” to the University of Arkansas or to the US government agencies for which the High Density Electronics Center conducted research under contract.
At the time of the indictment, then assistant attorney general for national security John C. Demers described Ang’s actions as “a hallmark of the China’s targeting of research and academic collaborations within the United States in order to obtain U.S. technology illegally.” The DoJ statement about the indictment said Ang’s actions had negatively impacted NASA and the US Air Force.
[2]
The fraud charges were dropped after the FBI caught Ang in a lie: when asked if any patents in China bore his name, he replied in the negative. Ang agreed to plead guilty to a charge of lying to the FBI.
[3]
On Thursday, the case reached its sentencing phase and Judge Timothy L. Brooks of the United States District Court in Fayetteville sent Ang down for a year and a day for making a false statement about those patents – all 24 of them.
[4]Chinese 'Aoqin Dragon' gang runs undetected ten-year espionage spree
[5]China-linked Twisted Panda caught spying on Russian defense R&D
[6]'Peacetime in cyberspace is a chaotic environment' says senior US advisor
As a University employee, Ang’s obligation was to disclose inventions to the University of Arkansas, so it – and not Chinese entities - could enjoy IP rights to the former Professor’s innovations. Ang also failed to disclose what the DoJ described as “numerous talent awards” awarded by China’s government.
China is credibly accused of using many means to illegally obtain technology. On such matters, and on issues regarding cybersecurity, Beijing often tries to level similar allegations against other nations. But those counter-actions can sometimes fall flat: this week China accused US national security agencies of mass data harvesting by citing research from a “cybersecurity information platform” named “Anzer” – but researchers have struggled to find any trace of Anzer, or the report it supposedly created. ®
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[1] https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdar/pr/university-arkansas-professor-indicted-wire-fraud-and-passport-fraud
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YqxQwN5rNPW9yosgOqoTCwAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YqxQwN5rNPW9yosgOqoTCwAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/10/aoqin_dragon_china_apt/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/20/china_twisted_panda/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/13/cyberspace_is_first_theatre_of_war/
[7] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Honestly, guys
I'm not sure that legalizing racism would get you very far. Your enemies would just have to work a bit harder and spend a bit more money to recruit nice WASPs, and then you would have a harder time spotting them. We've been through this in the Cold War with all those nice, respectable Oxbridge types that were Russian spies. And, yes, the Russians are still operating an ex USA president.
Re: Honestly, guys
Not sure if there is any background search necessary. If CPC wants Chinese individual to start spying, they can't say no.
Don't talk to the police
This is why you don't talk to the police.
The case against him was shaky, until he spoke to the FBI. At that point the original case was dropped, he'd given them an easy "lying to the FBI" conviction.
Re: Don't talk to the police
It never helps to talk to the police, as it says here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE whatever you say will be used AGAINST you, not for you.
The national security
So they hire engineers on pittance and are upset it turns out they try to make money on the side?
Have they not heard of human nature?
Pay people enough, so they feel rewarded for their work and content. Then maybe rather than spending time looking where to sell their IP, they would relax with their family etc.
Engineers should also be more assertive and start unionising. There is huge imbalance between what the institutions they work for make off of their work and what they are getting paid.
"Beijing often tries to level similar allegations against other nations. But those counter-actions can sometimes fall flat:"
That's a rather odd way to put it. Beijing is far from being the only one to accuse the US of stealing technological secrets, and the US have been proven to be spying more than once, most notably on their allies.
I'd really like to see "the West", including my own government, leading by example, rather than merely blaming and pointing fingers at others for acts they themselves shamelessly commit.
https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/espionnage-industriel-les-affaires-qui-ont-fait-trembler-l-economie-1074640
Honestly, guys
With all the precedents that have been set, and continue to be, you still hire Chinese nationals in national-security-sensitive or highly-demanding engineering posts ?
Shouldn't there be a bit more background research before hiring when the individual comes from China ?
You really bring it on yourselves sometimes.