Tokyo Electron’s Taiwan Unit Indicted over Trade Secrets

Taipei, Dec. 2 (Jiji Press)–Taiwan prosecutors on Tuesday indicted Tokyo Electron Ltd.’s Taiwanese subsidiary for violating Taiwan’s security and other relevant laws, following the indictment in August of a former employee for allegedly stealing trade secrets from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. The prosecutors sought a fine of 120 million Taiwanese dollars for the unit of Tokyo Electron, a major Japanese chipmaking equipment maker, concluding the subsidiary bore supervisory responsibility for the former employee, a Taiwanese man. According to the prosecutors, he joined the subsidiary after leaving TSMC and was alleged to have gained trade secrets from two TSMC workers. The purpose was believed to be to utilize the information for supplying processing equipment necessary for mass-producing TSMC’s cutting-edge chips. It was the first corporate indictment in Taiwan under its security law for the alleged leakage of core technological information. The prosecutors said in a statement released Tuesday that the subsidiary had failed to take proper measures to prevent the former employee’s illegal actions. Tokyo Electron said in August that it had dismissed him for disciplinary reasons. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]