W.L. Gore Seeks Sanctions Against Ex-Company Scientist

W.L. Gore & Associates Inc., the maker of waterproof Gore-Tex fabric, asked a judge to punish one of its former top scientists, claiming he’s using company secrets to start his own business in violation of a court order.

Huey Shen Wu was ordered in 2006, following a lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court, to refrain from developing any products for sale related to polymers he worked on while he was with Gore, the company said in a complaint filed today in Wilmington, Delaware. Wu has established companies in Taiwan and China that will use trade secrets he learned while at Gore, the complaint alleges.

Wu “has told Chinese television reporters that the anticipated annual revenue of this enterprise will be approximately $95 million,” according to the court filing in Chancery Court.

The dispute involves the use of one of Gore’s signature products, material made from polymers known as PTFE. Gore makes military clothing designed to protect troops against chemical and biological weapons. Wu is planning to compete with Gore through various companies he is affiliated with, including Perfect Defense Technology, according to court papers.

Wu and other officials of Perfect Defense didn’t immediately reply to an e-mailed message seeking comment on the allegations.

Closely held Gore is based in based in Newark, Delaware. The company was founded by a former DuPont Co. (DD) scientist.

The case is W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. v. Huey Shen Wu, 7946, Delaware Chancery Court (Wilmington).

To contact the reporter on this story: Steven Church in Wilmington, Delaware, at schurch3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: John Pickering at jpickering@bloomberg.net