ABSTRACT
This chapter is more of a discussion. It will look at corporate espionage because businesses want to know what their competitors are doing, what new or improved products may be emerging, where a competitor stands in relationship to their own similar products, and what new ideas, concepts, or products are being developed that an unethical company might desire so as to make and sell the product themselves. To really get ahead of a competitor, you must outthink, outproduce, and outsell the competition. Thus, competitive intelligence has become the norm. Competitive intelligence, when done openly, is not a problem in terms of illegality. It is when manufacturers and developers of products step over the line from simple research on the competition into what the competition is actually doing in terms of their intellectual property, corporate secrets, and whatnot that it becomes a form of economic espionage. In considering competitors, remember that China will use the same strategies and more to uncover your valued secrets.
