DuPont on Feb. 3 filed a lawsuit accusing South Korean competitor Kolon Industries of stealing trade secrets. DuPont said a civil suit was filed in a U.S. federal court against Kolon "for theft of trade secrets and confidential information" over the American firm's Kevlar fiber product used in body armor worn by police officers and soldiers.

DuPont also was filing a lawsuit on Feb. 3 in Canada and considering similar actions in other countries over the issue, a company statement said.

"This action underscores the measures that DuPont, as a market-driven science company, will pursue to protect our proprietary information for the benefit of our shareholders and customers," DuPont's counsel Thomas Sager said. "We are taking action to ensure that our trade secrets remain protected."

No details of the foreign legal actions were provided but the statement said, "We are pursuing all available legal remedies regarding this issue, including damages and injunctive relief, to prevent further misappropriation of DuPont proprietary information."

DuPont, which operates in more than 70 countries, also said that its previously announced $500 million  investment in a new Kevlar plant in South Carolina and the expansion of a facility in Virginia "reflect our confidence in this technology and business.

It said that it would "continue to safeguard first responders and military personnel around the world" over its Kevlar products, whose business "remains strong."

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2009