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| PROFITS LOST TO SPIES ADD UP AS COMPANIES MOVE TO HALT PROBLEM |
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| In an article from the Scripps Howard News Service, London, [The Blade, 10/26/99] it is asserted that although industrial espionage is a problem that companies and governments are reluctant to admit exists, it costs industry $100 billion a year in lost sales in the United States alone. "But," said James Chandler, head of the Institute of Intellectual Property Law, "the cost is higher if the full marketing ramifications of the intellectual property theft and unrestricted technology transfer are factored in."
It is advised that businesses be more aware of what material is sensitive and to restrict access to it. Human resources departments should be counseling employees about discretion in discussing company business and disseminating company paperwork, "emphasizing that the survival of the organization could be at stake." Confidentiality policies should be implemented that state what records need protection, who would be interested in stealing those records, and how they could be prevented from being taken. Tommy Helsby, chairman of Kroll Europe, part of one of the world’s biggest security firms, said, "The real culprit is not paying attention, leaving confidential documents lying around. People are hypersensitive about, say, a contract document but throw an early draft in the trash. There is probably somebody in every organization who would sell information at the right price." |