Taiwan indicts three over alleged theft of TSMC trade secrets

Taiwanese prosecutors have charged three people over the alleged theft of TSMC's trade secrets.

TSMC, the world's biggest contract chipmaker and Taiwan's crown jewel, hailed the move, which followed a legal complaint earlier this month. It says the complaint is linked to "classified trade secrets tied to core national key technologies."

The chipmaker confirmed in an emailed statement that the prosecutor had determined the defendants in the company's original complaint "were suspected of violating the National Security Act" and had "initiated criminal proceedings following the conclusion of the investigation."

Taiwan amended its National Security Act two years ago to increase the potential punishments for the theft of trade secrets relating to core technologies. According to a report by Taiwan's national news agency on Wednesday, prosecutors say these are the first indictments under the new provision. The Intellectual Property Branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office ...