Recently, the United States Department of Justice charged Huawei, the global leader in networking equipment, with racketeering and stealing trade secrets from U.S. firms over the last two decades. The DOJ claims that Huawei illegally copied intellectual property, including protected information about cellular antennas, robotic technology, and internet routers, and sold it in products around the world. Prosecutors have also charged them with violating a confidentiality agreement with T-Mobile by copying technology from T-Mobile’s robot, Tappy, which the mobile carrier uses to test the different phone and tablet functions. These charges come a year after the DOH accused the company of financial fraud and violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. However, Huawei has brought its own counter lawsuits as well, claiming the U.S. government is violating its constitutional rights through a defense spending bill that prohibits federal agencies and contractors from buying Huawei products. In addition to these pending legal charges, Congress and the Trump administration also recently added Huawei to a Commerce Department blacklist, preventing U.S. firms from selling their products to them. The United States Department of State has also convinced its allies, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan, to ban the company entirely. Many argue these efforts by the U.S. government stem from their fear of China’s desire to spy on foreign governments and citizens in its pursuit of global dominance.
