TSMC wins case in trade secret battle with Samsung

Chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has won a court ruling that will prohibit a former employee from leaking trade secrets to rivals, including Samsung.

On Monday, Taiwan's Supreme Court ruled in favor of TSMC in its lawsuit against Liang Mong-song, an executive who left the company back in 2009, and allegedly gave trade secrets to Samsung. Liang cannot offer his services to Samsung before the end of the year, and must refrain from leaking any trade secrets related to TSMC's chip technology, a court spokesman said on Wednesday. 

Both Samsung and TSMC declined to comment on the case, but the two companies are major rivals in the mobile chip-making industry. TSMC and Samsung, for instance, are both chip suppliers for Apple's iPhone, and often compete for orders from their various customers. 

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