German Firm Accuses J&J; Unit of Spying:...

German Firm Accuses J&J; Unit of Spying: Johnson & Johnson’s diabetes products subsidiary encouraged workers to illegally spy on rivals, a competitor has charged. Boehringer Mannheim Corp., a German-owned drug and medical device company, sued J&J; and its LifeScan Inc. subsidiary, alleging LifeScan employees spied on Boehringer Mannheim for at least 17 months from 1992 to 1994 and stole one of its products and confidential documents. Boehringer has U.S. offices in Indianapolis, where J&J; is based. J&J; said both companies engaged in improper activities but that LifeScan got no competitive advantages from information it got. “For our part, we regret that any of our employees were involved in these activities,” J&J; said in a statement. Boehringer Vice President Steve Oldham admitted to two “isolated incidents” of questionable acts by Boehringer workers but said they didn’t compare to LifeScan’s corporate culture. The lawsuit asks the court to bar LifeScan from using Boehringer trade secrets or from marketing any products based on secrets it allegedly stole.