Law360 recently published an article by Baker Botts Partner Brendan Quigley highlighting areas to watch in light of the DOJ's China Initiative, which was first unveiled in November 2018 and is focused on investigating economic espionage, intellectual property and trade secret theft, and "other unfair trade practices" by the Chinese government.

The effects of DOJ's China Initiative are likely to be felt for years to come, regardless of the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election. Dozens of line prosecutors and agents — whose job status is not affected by who occupies the Oval Office — have gained training and experience in investigating types of cases that uniquely impact the tech, media and telecommunications sector. Both the China Initiative itself, and the secondary effects of having significant numbers of federal prosecutors and investigators focused on economic espionage, trade secret theft, IP theft, and China-related Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases may have wide-ranging implications for companies that deal with sensitive technology or foreign governments. In addition, recent events show the potential for civil False Claims Act cases against companies that both deal with foreign governments and receive funds from the U.S. government. Companies need to be keenly aware of these potential areas of concern when working with entities connected to China.

To read the full article in Law360, please click here.