(WSJ) A manager at a maker of a popular videogame was arrested last week as he tried to board a plane for Beijing after allegedly stealing trade secrets, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.
Jing Zeng, 42 years old, of San Ramon, Calif., allegedly downloaded data on how users interact with Game of War: Fire Age, one of the top-grossing games in Apple Inc. ’s App Store. Mr. Zeng was a director of global infrastructure for the game’s maker, Machine Zone Inc.
The case could make Mr. Zeng, a naturalized U.S. citizen, the latest face in American officials’ efforts to stop alleged theft of trade secrets from U.S. firms.
His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
After working at a string of Chinese and U.S. technology jobs, Mr. Zeng landed at Machine Zone in late 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile. The Palo Alto, Calif., firm produces Game of War, an online medieval videogame that features knights and dragons. Its commercials, which have appeared on the Super Bowl, feature the model Kate Upton.
By spring, Mr. Zeng was unhappy with his boss and wanted to change teams, the complaint said, but his bosses declined. After managers told Mr. Zeng he had to leave the company, he began downloading data on user behavior from a proprietary company database, according to the complaint, which cites log files from Machine Zone’s tech department.
Confronted by company executives, Mr. Zeng tried to use the files as a bargaining chip for a severance agreement, according to the complaint. The company appeared open to a three-month package, while Mr. Zeng wanted six or seven months, the complaint said. He then allegedly gave conflicting accounts of how many copies he made and whether some of the storage devices holding the files were in China or San Ramon. The company, in the meantime, contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Agents arrested him as he tried to board a flight Aug. 20.
The complaint doesn’t specify what Mr. Zeng planned to do with the stolen information. It doesn’t accuse him of stealing source code for Game of War but data related to how users interact with the game and spend money while using it. Game of War allows users to navigate a virtual world and engage in virtual commerce through so-called micropayments.The data Mr. Zeng allegedly stole “provide valuable insight and a huge competitive advantage over other online game providers and competitors,” according to the criminal complaint.
On his LinkedIn profile, Mr. Zeng says that he left Machine Zone last month.
His current position: “Ready for next adventure.”
Source: Wall Street Journal by Danny Yadron
No comments:
Post a Comment