Thai Union Frozen Products loses US trade secrets case
By Jon Fernquest
Thai
Union Frozen Products (TUF) is the second largest
tuna-canning business in the world.
The US sales operations of this large Thai multinational have run afoul of US trade laws recently.
Thai Union Frozen Products Plc (TUF) lost a $4.5 trade secrets case against Contessa Premium Foods on September 26. The jury found that:
"...Bryan Rosenberg, TUF's former managing director of sales, and Brenden Beck, the former regional sales manager for retail for TUF, used Contessa sales calls to sell frozen food products made by competing companies.They were also accused of using Contessa resources to develop design, products, promotional materials, marketing strategies and sales presentations for competitors."
Mr Rosenberg and Mr Beck were found to have "breached their fiduciary duty while employed by Contessa and did so with malice, oppression or fraud."
The case of Contessa Premium Foods, Inc. v. Bryan Rosenberg et al. (BC 347105) dates back to 2005 when, without Contessa's knowledge, Thai Union began interviewing several key Contessa sales executives. Contessa first sued TUF in Los Angeles in February 2006 (Read the verdict from the court case).
Contessa was awarded $4.5 million plus legal fees which included $200,000 in punitive damages relating to Mr Rosenberg's conduct, and $1.5 million in punitive damages that TUF must pay. Jurors awarded Contessa $2,788,183 in actual damages.
(Source #1: Bangkok Post, business, 07-10-08, temp-link)
(Source #2:
Food Business Review, link)
Vocabulary:
Thai Union
Frozen Products (TUF) - a major food company in Thailand and
second largest tuna-canning business in the world based in Thailand,
produces canned fruit and vegetables and animal feeds, its major
exports include frozen shrimp, canned tuna, canned pet food, sardines
and mackerels, includes brands Fisho, Dori, Sealect, Chicken of the
Sea, and TRIOLight, other operations include packaging, producing
animal feeds and agricultural products, the company has 22 subsidiaries
(See website
and Wikipedia on Chicken
of the Sea and Google
Finance)
a multinational
- a company doing business in several countries บริษัทข้ามชาติ
run afoul of Y - do something that causes problems
with Y สร้างปัญหาให้กับ
trade secrets
- a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or
compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably
ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage
over competitors or customers, confidential information, classified
information (See Wikipedia)
ข้อได้เปรียบทางการค้า
a sales call
- when sales people visit a potential customer to persuage them to buy
their goods or services
breach
- violate, break a rule ละเมิด ฝ่าฝืนกฎหมาย
fiduciary - a relationship based on trust in whi ch
one person manages money or property for another
การได้รับมอบหมายเนื่องจากความเชื่อใจ
a fiduciary duty - a duty or responsibility in a
relationship based on trust
หน้าที่ที่ได้รับมอบหมายเนื่องจากความเชื่อใจ
breached their fiduciary duty - violated trust in a
relationship that required trust ทำให้หมดความไว้วางใจ
malice - behaviour intended to harm people or their
reputations ปองร้าย มุ่งร้าย
fraud - the crime of gaining money through trickery
or lieing การฉ้อโกง
plaintiff sues defendant - under American law a person or company that believes it has been harmed (the plaintiff) can seek money (damages) from the person who caused the harm (defendant) (ตามกฎหมายอเมริกัน) ผู้เสียหายสามารถเรียกร้องค่าเสียหายได้
punitive damages
- damages awarded by a court in order to reform or deter the defendant
and similar persons from pursuing a course of action such as that which
damaged the plaintiff (See Wikipedia)
ค่าเสียหายที่ต้องชำระให้กับผู้ได้รับความเสียหาย
the jury - legal decisions in the US
are made by a group of ordinary citizens called "the jury," later "on
appeal" a group of judges reviewing the case can either accept or
reject the decision คณะลูกขุน ในระบบศาลอเมริกัน
มีผู้พิพากษาเป็นผู้ดำิเนินการทางศาล
แต่การชี้ผิดหรือการกำหนดบทลงโทษมาจากคณะบุคคลที่ได้รับการแต่งตั้งให้ออกเสียงในการตัดสินโทษ
jurors awarded - the jury decides on the
amount of money the plaintiff should give the defendant
ค่าเสียหายที่คณะลูกขุนเห็นสมควรให้โจกท์ชดเชยให้จำเลย
actual damages - the money that the jury
decides that the plaintiff should give the defendant (See Wikipedia)
ค่าเสียหายที่จำเลยต้องจ่ายชดเชยให้โจกท์