Former TSMC Employee Sentenced to 10 Years for Trade Secret Leakage; Defense Lawyers Call for Rational View of Motive
A former TSMC engineer, Chen Li-Ming, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking key technology. His defense lawyers stated that Chen deeply regrets his actions and urged the public to view the case's circumstances and motive rationally, linking it to family medical and financial pressures.
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- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 21:51
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 22:02 (11 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 22:06 (4 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Liu Shi-Yi, Taipei, 28th) Former TSMC engineer Chen Li-Ming was involved in leaking key technology, and the Intellectual Property Court on the 27th sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Chen Li-Ming's defense lawyers today issued a statement saying that their client has deeply repented and hoped that the public would rationally view the case's circumstances and motive.
The Intellectual Property and Commercial Court stated on the 27th that this case is the first judgment following the amendment of the National Security Act's provisions concerning the theft of national core critical technologies. The judgment pointed out that Chen Li-Ming committed five offenses, including the intent to use general trade secrets overseas, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The verdict can be appealed.
Defense attorneys Yang Che-Wei and Chou Sheng-Yen issued a statement indicating that since the incident, Chen Li-Ming has repeatedly expressed his apologies through handwritten letters of repentance to his former company, colleagues, the court, and his relatives and friends. He deeply regrets the impact his actions have had on the company and the industry and hopes that society will attribute responsibility to the individual, without affecting innocent relatives and friends.
The statement mentioned that Chen Li-Ming's motive for the crime was related to family medical care and financial pressure, and he made a mistake due to a temporary lack of careful consideration. In addition, it clarified that this case does not involve overseas funds or harm to the semiconductor industry as rumored by the outside world.
The defense attorneys pointed out that it is understandable that society highly关注 cases involving national security and industrial interests. Still, they also hoped that all sectors would rationally view the client's attitude towards admitting his mistake, considering whether there should be room for reform, which is worth society's collective thought.
The defense attorneys stated that they regret that the client's repentance was not fully reflected in the sentencing outcome; in the future, Chen Li-Ming will use his own experience as a warning, reminding technology practitioners not to repeat the same mistakes and to prevent similar incidents from happening again. (Editor: Chen Renhua) 1150428
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(Central News Agency reporter Liu Shi-Yi, Taipei, 28th) Former TSMC engineer Chen Li-Ming was involved in leaking key technology, and the Intellectual Property Court on the 27th sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Chen Li-Ming's defense lawyers today issued a statement saying that their client has deeply repented and hoped that the public would rationally view the case's circumstances and motive.
The Intellectual Property and Commercial Court stated on the 27th that this case is the first judgment following the amendment of the National Security Act's provisions concerning the theft of national core critical technologies. The judgment pointed out that Chen Li-Ming committed five offenses, including the intent to use general trade secrets overseas, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The verdict can be appealed.
Defense attorneys Yang Che-Wei and Chou Sheng-Yen issued a statement indicating that since the incident, Chen Li-Ming has repeatedly expressed his apologies through handwritten letters of repentance to his former company, colleagues, the court, and his relatives and friends. He deeply regrets the impact his actions have had on the company and the industry and hopes that society will attribute responsibility to the individual, without affecting innocent relatives and friends.
The statement mentioned that Chen Li-Ming's motive for the crime was related to family medical care and financial pressure, and he made a mistake due to a temporary lack of careful consideration. In addition, it clarified that this case does not involve overseas funds or harm to the semiconductor industry as rumored by the outside world.
The defense attorneys pointed out that it is understandable that society highly关注 cases involving national security and industrial interests. Still, they also hoped that all sectors would rationally view the client's attitude towards admitting his mistake, considering whether there should be room for reform, which is worth society's collective thought.
The defense attorneys stated that they regret that the client's repentance was not fully reflected in the sentencing outcome; in the future, Chen Li-Ming will use his own experience as a warning, reminding technology practitioners not to repeat the same mistakes and to prevent similar incidents from happening again. (Editor: Chen Renhua) 1150428
Stand with facts, every sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
Download Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.