Analyst Suggests Six Kin Advances Due To Corporate Espionage | EVE Online

Analyst Suggests Six Kin Advances Due To Corporate Espionage

2008-10-23 - Von Svarthol

Rens – Rumors about Minmatar construction firm Six Kin Development were given public voice today when a commentator on The Kimotoro Report suggested that their recent technological breakthroughs were "clearly a result of information and/or expertise obtained from Federation corporations."

Speaking on the latest broadcast of the Caldari newsmagazine, Korina Ubaata, a Republic market specialist for Caldari Funds Unlimited, said that "no matter how much [Sanmatar] Shakor would like us to think that these sorts of results are a product of the Republic's domestic research, the similarities between these technologies and similar ones marketed by both DuVolle Labs and CreoDron seem pretty clear to me." Ubaata's remarks met with hesitant agreement by many of the other commentators, though none would go as far as accusing Six Kin of corporate espionage.

"I find it hard to believe that they would be so bold as to debut something they obtained through less-than-legal means with such fanfare," countered Paol Tervada, a legal analyst for the Mercantile Club. "It's hard to believe that Federation corporations would let that slide, especially when the new Republic government has been considerably less pro-Federation than that of Karin Midular."

Following the broadcast, Six Kin denied the allegations, saying that they were "preposterous" and that the company has excellent relations with both DuVolle Labs and CreoDron. The two Federation corporations have not made any statement yet, but most media watchers agree that the current state of hostilities between the Federation and the State make any such response unlikely.

"The real answers here are very unclear," said Faye Nicolette, professor of economics at the University of Caille. "On the surface, Six Kin's technology does seem very similar to that used here in the Federation; however, I think the reasons may be less sinister. The last several months have seen many senior Federation corporate researchers, especially those of Minmatar origin, leaving to join Republic firms as their economy shows signs of significant improvement. It seems likely that their work in the Republic has a great deal of influence from their time in the Federation."