As suspicions were raised that Naver’s sports broadcasting-related management data was leaked to its competitor Coupang Play, the police launched a mandatory investigation. According to the Security Investigation Department of the Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency on the 11th, the police conducted a search and seizure of Mr. A’s residence on the same day as Mr. A, an employee of Coupang Play, was accused of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act.
The police secured electronic information related to Mr. A’s electronic devices and also executed a seizure warrant at Coupang’s headquarters located in Songpa-gu, Seoul. A complaint has been filed against Mr. A, alleging that he stole Naver’s trade secrets when he moved from Naver to Coupang Play last year.
Regarding this incident, Coupang stated, “It concerns personal allegations of a specific employee and has nothing to do with the company.” There is a possibility that Mr. A may have leaked trade secrets related to sports broadcasting that he learned while working at Naver without permission. The police filed a criminal case against Mr. A, obtained a search and seizure warrant from the court, and began a mandatory investigation.
Coupang Play provides various soccer broadcasts such as K League 1, 2, La Liga, Bundesliga, and League 1, and also broadcasts various overseas sports such as F1, NFL, and ONE Championship. Coupang provides a service that allows members who pay monthly membership fees to watch Coupang Play for free, making it competitive in the OTT market.
Naver, Korea’s largest portal site, has also been broadcasting various sports content, including soccer and baseball, over the Internet, so this incident shows that competition in the e-commerce and sports broadcasting areas is intensifying.
A police official said, “It is true that a search and seizure was conducted, but we cannot comment on specific details.”
Photo = provided by Coupang, provided by Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency
