HBR Case Study: Will Our Partner Steal Our IP?

Prime ElektroTek's chairman had just announced big news to the employees and managers gathered on the shop floor: The Taipei-based company, which over the past decade had evolved from manufacturing simple power supplies to designing hybrid electric power trains for automobiles, had finally secured a deal with Blue Sky Vehicles, a state-owned enterprise that was one of the most dynamic automakers in China. If all went well, Blue Sky would soon be using Prime's components in its energy-efficient cars and trucks. The only person not applauding was Wang Hsi-Guo, the engineer who had led the development of Prime's power train technology.