TSMC 2nm trade secret leak case fined NT$150 million; TEL: No confidential information leaked
In the TSMC 2nm trade secret leak case, the Intellectual Property and Commercial Court ordered Tokyo Electron (a TEL subsidiary) to pay a fine of NT$150 million with a 3-year suspended sentence, and to pay TSMC NT$100 million and the public treasury NT$50 million. TEL stated there was no organizational involvement or leakage of confidential information and pledged to strengthen its information management system.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 17:49
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 18:02 (12 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 27, 2026 at 18:15 (13 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chang Chien-chung, Hsinchu, April 27) In the TSMC 2nm trade secret leak case, the Intellectual Property and Commercial Court today sentenced Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. (a subsidiary of TEL) to a fine of NT$150 million, with a 3-year suspended sentence, and ordered it to pay TSMC NT$100 million and the public treasury NT$50 million. TEL stated that neither TEL nor Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. was systematically involved, and no confidential information was leaked.
Former TSMC engineer Chen Li-ming, and current engineers Wu Ping-chun, Kuo Yi-ping, and Chen Wei-chieh were involved in leaking key technologies. The Intellectual Property and Commercial Court today sentenced Chen Li-ming to 10 years in prison for violating the National Security Act, with the possibility of appeal.
Additionally, Wu Ping-chun and Kuo Yi-ping were sentenced to 3 and 2 years in prison, respectively, Chen Wei-chieh was sentenced to 6 years, and Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. employee Lu Yi-yin was sentenced to 10 months with a 3-year suspended sentence, and ordered to pay NT$1 million to the public treasury. Tokyo Electron Ltd. was sentenced to a fine of NT$150 million, with a 3-year suspended sentence, and ordered to pay NT$100 million to TSMC and NT$50 million to the public treasury.
TEL's statement noted that TEL considers compliance with laws and ethical standards as its most important management policy and absolutely does not tolerate any acts of leaking customer confidential information. Regarding the judgment that Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. failed to sufficiently fulfill its supervisory duties over former employees, TEL views this with utmost seriousness and will further strengthen the information management system across the entire group, among other related measures.
TEL stated that the investigation and judgment results showed no systematic involvement by TEL or Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. or leakage of confidential information. Furthermore, TEL has consulted with its customers, and both parties have agreed to strengthen the principles of trade secret and confidential information protection and sharing. The incident has not affected operations.
TEL pointed out that all employees will work together in the future to continuously enhance corporate value to meet the expectations of all stakeholders. (Editors: Su Chih-chung) 1150427
Choose to stand with facts; your every donation is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
Keywords:
(Central News Agency reporter Chang Chien-chung, Hsinchu, April 27) In the TSMC 2nm trade secret leak case, the Intellectual Property and Commercial Court today sentenced Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. (a subsidiary of TEL) to a fine of NT$150 million, with a 3-year suspended sentence, and ordered it to pay TSMC NT$100 million and the public treasury NT$50 million. TEL stated that neither TEL nor Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. was systematically involved, and no confidential information was leaked.
Former TSMC engineer Chen Li-ming, and current engineers Wu Ping-chun, Kuo Yi-ping, and Chen Wei-chieh were involved in leaking key technologies. The Intellectual Property and Commercial Court today sentenced Chen Li-ming to 10 years in prison for violating the National Security Act, with the possibility of appeal.
Additionally, Wu Ping-chun and Kuo Yi-ping were sentenced to 3 and 2 years in prison, respectively, Chen Wei-chieh was sentenced to 6 years, and Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. employee Lu Yi-yin was sentenced to 10 months with a 3-year suspended sentence, and ordered to pay NT$1 million to the public treasury. Tokyo Electron Ltd. was sentenced to a fine of NT$150 million, with a 3-year suspended sentence, and ordered to pay NT$100 million to TSMC and NT$50 million to the public treasury.
TEL's statement noted that TEL considers compliance with laws and ethical standards as its most important management policy and absolutely does not tolerate any acts of leaking customer confidential information. Regarding the judgment that Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. failed to sufficiently fulfill its supervisory duties over former employees, TEL views this with utmost seriousness and will further strengthen the information management system across the entire group, among other related measures.
TEL stated that the investigation and judgment results showed no systematic involvement by TEL or Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd. or leakage of confidential information. Furthermore, TEL has consulted with its customers, and both parties have agreed to strengthen the principles of trade secret and confidential information protection and sharing. The incident has not affected operations.
TEL pointed out that all employees will work together in the future to continuously enhance corporate value to meet the expectations of all stakeholders. (Editors: Su Chih-chung) 1150427
Choose to stand with facts; your every donation is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
Keywords: