3 men, Tokyo Electron Taiwan indicted over new TSMC trade secret theftStaff writer, with CNAThe Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Intellectual Property Branch yesterday indicted three individuals and Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd for stealing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) 14-nanometer (14nm) technology secrets. The individuals included Chen Li-ming (陳力銘), a former TSMC engineer who worked at Tokyo Electron Taiwan, a TSMC employee surnamed Chen (陳), and a Tokyo Electron Taiwan employee surnamed Lu (盧), the prosecutors office said in a statement. Photo: Ann Wang, ReutersThe case came to light when prosecutors were investigating Tokyo Electron Taiwan for the alleged theft of TSMC trade secrets related to its 2nm process. Chen Li-ming, along with two others, were indicted in August last year for stealing TSMC’s 2nm technology. Tokyo Electron Taiwan was indicted last month on four violations of the Trade Secrets Act (營業秘密法) and National Security Act for failing to properly supervise Chen Li-ming, with prosecutors seeking a total penalty of NT$120 million.

Source: Taipei Times January 05, 2026 16:44 UTC