Top US Chip Gearmaker Accuses China Rival of 14-Month Spy Spree
- Applied Materials says Chinese-owned Mattson behind IP theft
- Mattson denies any wrongdoing and says claims have ‘no merit’
Applied Materials Inc. is suing a Chinese-owned rival over what it says was a 14-month effort to steal some of its most valuable secrets, allegedly including an orchestrated employee-poaching spree and surreptitious transfers of semiconductor equipment designs.
The biggest US supplier of chipmaking equipment accused Mattson, a Fremont, California-based company acquired by Beijing-backed Beijing E-Town Dragon Semiconductor Industry Investment Center in 2016, of hiring away 17 of its most senior engineers over just more than a year.
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Top US Chip Gearmaker Accuses China Rival of 14-Month Spy Spree