ABSTRACT
Abbott Laboratories, like most pharmaceutical firms, did everything it could to protect its plant from falling victim to corporate spying. The company installed timers on its gates so they would only open for short periods during shift changes, work areas were isolated and guarded, and employees did not bring anything in or out of the office without it first being carefully scrutinized. Despite these precautions, Abbott brought suit against two employees for duplicating the company’s formula for an artificial sweetener. How did the employees get past the safety measures that Abbott had taken? They memorized the formula. This is not a story of a recent episode of corporate spying-it happened in March 1965. And corporate spying is even more prevalent today.
