Chinese tech firm flirts with Seagate

Rumours are circulating in the heady world of hard disk drives (HDDs) that a Chinese tech firm wants to buy Seagate Technology. The New York Times reported on Saturday that an unnamed Chinese technology company, widely believed to be computer maker Lenovo, had approached Seagate, the world's number one manufacturer of HDDs. …

[Eduard Coli]

So what...

Any technology already made in the PRC has to be considered available to the PRC.

It is an unwritten rule that if you move your production to the PRC and the govenrment and especially the military wants access to some patent or design and you refuse you will have problems with worker strikes and most likely will get thrown out and your assets nationalized. Even above board you can't get away from it as many companies in the PRC require a government board member.

Then there is outright IP theft.

There was an example of a German machine tool company that had a lathe produced by a contractor in the PRC only to find a duplicate of their design at a trade show produced by the same company contracted by them.

Morale of the story,

Any company that moves production to the workers paradise that is the PRC is creating their own competition.

No company or government can expect proper treatment of sensitive data by any company that has production in the PRC.

[Anonymous Coward]

Like for like

How delightful that the US gubmint is so concerned about others (in this case China) being able to do to it, what it routinely does to every other country on the planet (plant backdoors in code allowing their own spooks in). Enjoy a bit of your own medicine there Uncle Sam and learn what it's like for the rest of us!

[John Bailey]

Here we go again

Is there anything that ISN'T a threat to American National security?

[amanfromMars]

Abusing the dDutch Initiative is a self inflicted wound?

"It’s a worry for US authorities who, according to the Times, would see such a deal as a risk to national security by exposing high technology to China."

There is an untenable and arrogant presumption in that statement that high technology "belongs" to the US ....which would not be the case if IT were developed in China.

With China in a position to spend dollars, the People's Republic would seem to be an ideal location for new higher technologies. I wonder whom one would contact about that.

Now where did I put that "Mandarin made Easy" hyperlink?

[Anonymous Coward]

@Eduard Coli

"No company or government can expect proper treatment of sensitive data by any company that has production in the PRC."

Er, you mean unlike airline passenger data, or international money transfer data and a host of other stuff collected by the US government?

[Lee]

@ amanfromMars

That made sense. Taking your medicine again?

[Raheim Sherbedgia]

High technology does

belong to the US. Outside of minor advancements almost all high tech comes from American companies or their contractors. The US owns the Internet and most of the world's telecom and satellite infrastructure as well. In addition they are also the world leaders in the finance tech sector. Many of the tech advances (UK not included) from other countries are actually financed through the U.S. World or Ex-Im banks which underwrite R&D and manufacturing for a stake in the product.

For good or ill the U.S. is still the home of technological advancement. The PRC may overtake them one day but right now the PRC is just a big copy maching, replicating the work of the US.

[Eduard Coli]

@ Chris W

They give that stuff away for free but the PRC wants the US to pay to be ripped off.

[ben edwards]

buh?

I thought technology belonged to humanity, or at the very least the people who actually came up with it. How does that coexist with a statement of "high technology belongs to the US"? HT, as it is, knows no boundaries.

[Ian]

Hmmm

Dear Raheim Sherbedgia. Could it be that you are a troll?