American Superconductor charges Chinese wind turbine maker with industrial espionage
American Superconductor Corp. in Devens today charged that a Chinese wind turbine maker hired a former American Superconductor employee to steal its technology.
In a regulatory filing, American Superconductor said it has filed suit in China and is in process of filing criminal complaints against Sinovel Wind Group Co., once American Superconductor’s largest customer. American Superconductor said it discovered the corporate espionage through an internal investigation and a criminal investigation by Austrian law enforcement authorities.
The former employee was arrested in Austria in July and charged with economic espionage, American Superconductor said. The company said the former employee stole software source code used to control wind turbines and passed it to Sinovel.
“We are taking legal action against Sinovel based on its contractual breaches and strong evidence of its criminal misconduct,’’ said American Superconductor chief executive Daniel McGahn said in a statement last night.
The complaints follow months of problems that American Superconductor has had with Sinovel.
Earlier this year, the Devens company cut its workforce by 30 percent, or 150 jobs, citing contract issues with Sinovel. The Chinese wind turbine maker refused to accept shipments for which it was contracted amid talk that it was shifting its business to another supplier.
American Superconductor said yesterday that it would be seeking monetary damages from Sinovel.