The Chinese wind turbine maker Sinovel Wind and two of its employees have been charged with stealing trade secrets from an American company by the US Department of Justice.
A federal grand jury in Wisconsin returned an indictment levelling theft charges on Sinovel, two of its employees and a former employee of AMSC, a Massachusetts-based company that provided wind turbine design, engineering services and power electronics and controls to Sinovel. Authorities said the theft allegedly cost AMSC US$800 million.
Sinovel officials were not immediately available for comment.
In 2011, AMSC, which mainly supplies electrical systems used in wind turbines, filed several lawsuits in China against Sinovel alleging the illegal use of AMSC's intellectual property.
AMSC, which was formerly known as American Superconductor Corp, said at the time it wanted to recover more than US$1.2 billion in damages.
The company's chief executive, Daniel McGahn, said: "The fact that Sinovel has exported stolen American intellectual property from China back into the United States, less than 40 miles from our global headquarters, shows not only a blatant disrespect for intellectual property but a disregard for international trade law."