DuPont Wins $919.9 Million Damages In Kevlar Case Against KOLON INDUSTRIES, INC.-Reuters

Reuters reported that a U.S. federal jury awarded DuPont $919.9 million in damages on September 14, 2011, ruling that a South Korean company stole trade secrets for a fiber used to make Kevlar bulletproof vests. DuPont said the Richmond, Virginia, jury ordered KOLON INDUSTRIES, INC. to pay the damages after finding the textile company willfully and maliciously stole trade secrets and confidential information regarding its Kevlar para-aramid fiber. In addition to body armor, the fiber is also used to make tires and fiber-optic cables. In a statement, KOLON INDUSTRIES, INC. said it has 'solid legal and factual grounds' for its planned appeal, and that many of the alleged secrets were publicly known. KOLON also plans to pursue a separate antitrust case against DuPont, scheduled for trial next March.