DuPont v. Kolon Industries

Overview

court	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
imagesize	150
full name	E. I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company v. Kolon Industries, Incorporated
date decided	September 14, 2011
docket	3:09-cv-00058
judge	Robert E. Payne
prior actions	Counterclaims dismissed, 683 F. Supp. 2d 401, 688 F. Supp. 2d 443 (E.D. Va. 2009); reversed, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. v. Kolon Indus., Inc., 637 F.3d 435 (4th Cir. 2011); spoliation motion granted, 803 F. Supp. 2d 469 (E.D. Va. 2011).
subsequent actions	Permanent injunction granted, 894 F. Supp. 2d 691 (E.D. Va. 2012); dismissal of antitrust counterclaims affirmed, 748 F.3d 160 (4th Cir. 2014); cert. denied, 135 S. Ct. 437 (2014); verdict reversed, E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Co. v. Kolon Indus., Inc., 564 F. App'x 710 (4th Cir. 2014); cert. denied, 135 S. Ct. 439 (2014).

DuPont v. Kolon Industries is an intellectual property lawsuit centering on the allegation that Kolon Industries (of 코오롱그룹), a South Korea-based company, stole trade secrets concerning the production and marketing of Kevlar from DuPont, an American chemical company. Kevlar is a high strength synthetic fiber used in applications as diverse as bicycle tires and body armor. On September 14, 2011, a jury found in favour of DuPont and awarded damages of $919.9 million. A 2015 settlement reduced the damages to $275 million.

Background

Kevlar is a registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber developed at DuPont in 1965[1] and used commercially from the early 1970s onwards. On February 3, 2009, DuPont filed suit against Kolon for "theft of trade secrets and confidential information" relating to its product, Heracron.[2]

DuPont v. Kolon Industries

Background

Destruction of evidence

Judgment and reactions

Appeal and settlement

References