Taiwan prosecutors charge three with stealing TSMC trade secrets

TAIPEI, Taiwan: Taiwanese prosecutors charged on Wednesday three people with stealing trade secrets from TSMC, the world’s biggest maker of semiconductor chips.

“This case involves critical national core technologies vital to Taiwan’s industrial lifeline, gravely threatening the international competitiveness of Taiwan’s semiconductor sector,” the High Prosecutors Office’s Intellectual Property Branch said in a statement.

The three people — including a former TSMC engineer and two staff working for the chipmaker at the time of the alleged theft — were charged under the National Security Act and the Trade Secrets Act.

In a previous statement, TSMC said it had taken “strict disciplinary actions against the personnel involved” in the “potential trade secret leaks”.

TSMC did not provide details about the technology involved in the suspected leaks.