Modern Day Spies?!

[HEATON]

Haha, sad how things happen.. What is this Charlie and the Choc factory, stealing secrets from each other..

So basically 3 ppl are bein sued for giving PEPSI secrets of COKE..

Coca-Cola Trade Secrets Trial to Open
Sunday January 14, 10:01 pm ET
By Harry R. Weber, AP Business Writer
Coke Trade Secrets Trial Set to Begin; Secretary Accused of Taking Confidential Papers


ATLANTA (AP) -- Prosecutors say a former Coca-Cola secretary took confidential documents from the beverage giant and samples of products that hadn't been launched with the aim of selling them to rival Pepsi. Her lawyer says she was duped by two ex-cons and didn't commit a crime.
A jury will be asked to determine who is telling the truth. The process of selecting that jury starts Tuesday in Joya Williams' trial.

Williams, who was fired as an administrative assistant to The Coca-Cola Co.'s global brand director after the alleged scheme came to light last summer, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy.

Williams, Edmund Duhaney and Ibrahim Dimson were indicted on the single federal charge, accused of stealing new product samples and confidential documents from Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and trying to sell them to Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo Inc.

The alleged plans were foiled after Pepsi warned Coca-Cola in May and an undercover FBI investigation was launched.

Dimson and Duhaney have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Duhaney is expected to testify against Williams, though it is unclear if Dimson will.

The two men served prison terms at the same time at a federal penitentiary in Montgomery, Ala. Duhaney served nearly five years of a seven-year sentence on a cocaine charge before being released in 2005; Dimson served less than one year of a two-year sentence on a bank fraud charge before his release in 2004.

Williams' lawyer, Janice Singer, said she plans to make the two men's credibility a key issue in her client's defense. Williams does not have a criminal record, another attorney who previously represented her has said.

"The case is about two felons who manipulated and used my client without her knowledge," Singer said. "She did not take any documents she believed to be trade secrets to share with these people or to harm Coke and benefit Pepsi, nor did she intentionally knowingly give them any documents."

Singer said that Williams was allowed to take home documents from her job. She suggested that Dimson and Duhaney stole the materials from her.

"We're not denying that she possessed them, but we are denying that she conspired with the other defendants to do anything nefarious or wrong," Singer said.

However, prosecutors say they have a strong case. That includes video surveillance showing Williams at her desk at Coke headquarters going through multiple files looking for documents and stuffing them into bags, according to court records. She also was observed holding a liquid container with a white label, which resembled the description of a new product sample, before placing it into her personal bag, prosecutors say.

The prosecution says a box containing two undisclosed product samples and other confidential company papers were found in Duhaney's home during a search on July 5, the day all three were arrested.

Coke has declined to give details about the samples, including which products they are for. The indictment only refers to a mysterious "Project N......."

Duhaney's lawyer, Don Samuel, said his client played a small role in the scheme. "He pleaded guilty to being a member of a conspiracy so you can assume he will testify consistent to that plea," Samuel said.

The episode prompted Coke to re-evaluate its safeguards for protecting trade secrets, and other corporations have asked whether they should do the same. The products allegedly stolen weren't locked up in a bank vault like the recipe for Coca-Cola's flagship soda brand.

Coke's general counsel sent a memo to employees afterward urging them to come forward if they see someone doing something inappropriate.

A Coca-Cola spokeswoman, Crystal Walker, declined to comment on the trial.

Prosecutors are seeking some secrecy during the trial. They want to bar jurors from disclosing to others confidential materials they are presented, seal any exhibits containing trade secrets that are entered into evidence, and limit defense lawyer Singer's ability to introduce confidential information into evidence. Rulings by U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester were pending. Singer has said granting the requests would violate her client's right to a public trial.

On Tuesday, potential jurors will be given a jury questionnaire. The panel will be chosen Wednesday. Opening statements have been delayed until Jan. 22, Singer said. The trial, including jury selection, is expected to last up to two weeks.

The questionnaire gauges whether potential jurors own Coca-Cola stock, work for the company or have already made up their mind about the facts of the case based on pretrial publicity, Singer said.

"We're not striking people based on whether they drink Coke," Singer said with a laugh. "If that was the case, I'd also have to recuse myself."

[HvyArms]

Would you do me a favor? Read all of that, and tell me what it says. I've heard about this, but dont know the details

[HEATON]

Haha figured so, that's why I put the part of "So basically.. " at the beginning..lol

[Ran]

Haha figured so, that's why I put the part of "So basically.. " at the beginning..lol

Actually, they tried to give Coke's secrets to Pepsi but Pepsi turned them in to Coke instead. Kind of cool to see that one company, although a competitor, would respect another's plans like that.

[quickdodge®]

This happened middle of last year. Later, QD.

[HEATON]

Actually, they tried to give Coke's secrets to Pepsi

That's what I said..lol I jus left out the part about Pepsi tellin coke, bc it had nothing to do with my title..haha.. Plus they (Pepsi) knew if they used them, they'd get in trouble.

[HEATON]

This happened middle of last year. Later, QD.

Naw, it happened just in the past few days. I am talkin about people being sued, now it may have happened then.

[quickdodge®]

now it may have happened then.

That's what I said. All this happened last year. Later, QD.

[Tarzanman]

Its not that Pepsi would get in trouble.... its that Pepsi had no use for stolen samples and/or documents from Coke.

The cola wars aren't about taste. If it were then noone would drink cola because it tastes like minty-sweet saliva. It is about marketing and market saturation. Think about it.... does it make sense that a synthetic liquid beverage (which must be extracted from various raw materials and processed) is cheaper than fruit juice. Unlike money... fruits REALLY DO grow on trees... WTF???

The answer is that the big fruit juice makers are owned by the beverage companies. Coke and Pepsi have a vested interest in making sure that you are served Sprite and Mello Yello from the time you are a small child so that you grow up attached to their brand/taste of beverage instead of a generic, more expensive (and more healthy) fruit juice that cannot be differentiated from a competitor.

Believe me when I say that there is a TON of money to be made in the beverage business if you can get out from under the foot of Coke and Pepsi. It took 40 years, but look at Red Bull.... they sell 3/4 the amount of soda for 4 times the price that coke does. They did it by being slick and staying off of Coke's radar for as long as possible.

If you knew how bad soda really is for you... I'd wager that you would drink a lot less of it!

[Jecht]

lol

[HEATON]

< Water only. Except for Electrolyte drinks.