Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.Former employee indicted for stealing trade secrets, but TSMC detected and recovered documents; legal risk and potential IP exposure.

Taiwanese prosecutors have indicted a former employee of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world's largest contract chipmaker, for unauthorized duplication of trade secrets. The former employee faces charges under Taiwan's National Security Act and Trade Secrets Protection Act, with prosecutors seeking a seven-year prison sentence. The former employee allegedly conspired with a Hong Kong national between 2023 and 2024 to establish a semiconductor materials analysis company in China, and duplicated 21 TSMC documents, including technology designated by Taiwanese authorities as a national core critical technology, with the intent to use this information in China. TSMC detected the unauthorized duplication during an internal investigation and recovered all the duplicated technical documents. The Hong Kong suspect has died and was not indicted.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.Former employee indicted for stealing trade secrets, but TSMC detected and recovered documents; legal risk and potential IP exposure.