Former FUJIFILM Taiwan Sales Head Indicted for Reproducing Trade Secrets

(CNA, Taipei, May 21, by reporter Lin Chang-shun) A former general manager of the sales division of FUJIFILM Business Innovation Taiwan Corp., surnamed Wu, was previously indicted by prosecutors for violating the Securities and Exchange Act and is currently on trial. While reviewing court documents, FUJIFILM Taiwan discovered that Wu had also allegedly illegally reproduced company trade secrets and filed a separate complaint. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office today indicted Wu for violating the Trade Secrets Act. According to the indictment, Wu was employed at FUJIFILM Business Innovation Taiwan Corp. (formerly FUJI XEROX Taiwan Limited) from January 1986 to February 2018, holding positions such as information center staff, director, deputy general manager of the sales department, and general manager of the sales division. He had signed documents including a code of ethics and conduct with the company, which prohibited the illegal reproduction of trade secrets without the company's consent or authorization. After leaving the company, Wu was accused of causing company losses through fraudulent transactions during his tenure. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted him in 2022 for violating the Securities and Exchange Act and the Money Laundering Control Act, with the case being tried by the Taipei District Court. Prosecutors stated that on September 13, 2024, during the trial proceedings for Wu's securities law case, FUJIFILM Taiwan reviewed the case files and obtained Wu's criminal defense statement, which contained trade secrets. This led to the discovery that Wu had illegally reproduced the company's trade secrets before his departure in February 2018, prompting the company to file a complaint with prosecutors. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office concluded its investigation today and indicted Wu for the crime of reproducing trade secrets beyond his authority in violation of the Trade Secrets Act. Under the law, he faces a potential sentence of up to 5 years in prison or penal servitude, with a possible concurrent fine of between NT$1 million and NT$10 million.