Taiwan Court Imposes Jail Terms in TSMC Trade Secrets Case

Court Ruling in High-Profile Trade Secrets Case

A Taiwanese court has handed down sentences in a high-profile trade secrets case involving chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Japan’s Tokyo Electron. The ruling follows an indictment of five defendants, including Chen Li-ming, a former TSMC employee.

Chen Li-ming was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly unlawfully obtaining trade secrets from TSMC. Three other former employees of TSMC were given sentences ranging from two to six years. A fourth defendant, a former Tokyo Electron employee, received a 10-month sentence that has been suspended for three years.

The court also fined the local unit of Tokyo Electron $5m. The case involves allegations of theft of sensitive computer chip technology and charges under the National Security Act. Prosecutors had indicted the defendants in August 2025 on suspicion of their involvement in the alleged theft.

Tokyo Electron and TSMC have not yet commented on the ruling. The court’s decision marks one of Taiwan’s most prominent cases related to the island’s core technologies.

Source: Al Jazeera