Trade Secret Litigation

Tokyo Electron Ltd. terminated veteran executive Jay Chen after discovering he maintained undisclosed financial ties to investment vehicles funding Chinese semiconductor equipment competitors. The Financial Times first reported the separation, citing sources familiar with the matter. Reuters has not independently verified the details.

A Taiwanese court sentenced Chen Li-ming, a former Tokyo Electron and TSMC employee, to 10 years in prison for stealing TSMC's proprietary chip technology to benefit Tokyo Electron's equipment sales. Three other ex-TSMC workers received sentences ranging from 2 to 6 years, while a second Tokyo Electron employee received a suspended 10-month sentence. The court also fined Tokyo Electron's Taiwan subsidiary T$150 million and ordered it to pay TSMC T$100 million in damages. Taiwan's Intellectual Property and Commercial Court issued the ruling on April 27, 2026, under the National Security Act for breaching core national technologies. Most defendants pleaded guilty and retain appeal rights.