Industrial espionage is the illegal and unethical theft of business trade secrets for use by a competitor to achieve a competitive advantage. It is often done by an insider or an employee who gains employment for the express purpose of spying and stealing information for a competitor.

Can you go to jail for industrial espionage?

Penalties for violation are fines of up to US$500,000 per offense and imprisonment of up to 15 years for individuals, and fines of up to US$10 million for organizations.

Is business espionage legal?

Is Industrial Espionage Illegal? It is not illegal to spy on a private company as long as the information is obtained by legal means. ... The U.S. government governs corporate espionage by the Economic Espionage Act of 1996. The law codified what a trade secret was and made stealing commercial secrets a federal crime.