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Tokyo Electron (TEL) Taiwan Subsidiary (Photo: Yonhap News Agency) |
[Alpha Biz= Ellie Kim] A Taiwanese court has found the local subsidiary of Tokyo Electron guilty of misappropriating advanced technologies from TSMC, the world’s leading foundry. A former employee involved in the case was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
According to Nikkei on the 27th, Taiwan’s Intellectual Property and Commercial Court handed the subsidiary a suspended sentence of three years along with a fine of TWD 150 million (approximately KRW 7 billion). The ruling is a first-instance decision and may be appealed.
The case is drawing attention as the first conviction of a corporate entity for leaking “core technologies” since Taiwan revised its national security laws in 2022 to designate advanced sectors such as semiconductors as strategically protected.
Taiwanese prosecutors had indicted three former employees in August last year on charges of illegally obtaining and using TSMC’s confidential information. One of them, who later joined the Tokyo Electron unit, reportedly stated the intent was to improve manufacturing equipment at the new employer. Prosecutors subsequently charged the subsidiary in December, citing inadequate preventive measures.
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| TSMC |
The court ruled that the subsidiary failed in its supervisory duties and violated national security laws, noting it had neglected the risk that internal TSMC data could be improperly collected and used, potentially infringing trade secrets.
However, the court suspended the execution of the sentence, taking into account the company’s cooperation with the investigation, efforts to prevent recurrence, and a settlement reached with TSMC. Under the settlement terms, the subsidiary was ordered to pay TWD 100 million to TSMC and TWD 50 million to Taiwanese authorities.
The former employee was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with the court recognizing the risk that TSMC’s trade secrets could have been leaked overseas. The sentence was reduced in consideration of the absence of confirmed third-party dissemination and the individual’s cooperation with the investigation.
Alphabiz Ellie Kim 인턴기자(press@alphabiz.co.kr)
