Earlier this week, it was revealed that a Coca Cola employee had been offering secret soft drink forumulas to arch-rival Pepsi. Wednesday, prosecutors charged Joya Williams, an administrative assistant for the director of global brand marketing at Coke, with theft of trade secrets.
According to Stolen-Coke-Secrets Case Could Spur Review of Security Policies, “Video surveillance showed Williams at her desk going through files in search of documents and stuffing them in her bags, prosecutors said.”
Clearly, a variety of security issues contributed to the theft. Trade secrets like confidential product formulation data may not have been well secured, and an employee with a high level of access may not have been vetted well enough. At the end of the day, though surveillance footage was available to reveal the theft. The surveillance video will no doubt play an important part in any trial resulting from the incident.
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