A Case of Tech Theft Shows the Real U.S. Weak Spot
It’s going to be hard for America to defend its IP borders in far-off lands that are part of the supply chain.
Victim of theft.
Photographer: Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/Light Rocket/Getty
One of the biggest threats to U.S. technological supremacy was brought to the fore at a courthouse in central Taiwan last week, highlighting the large global border that America must defend if it’s to stay ahead of China.
United Microelectronics Corp. was fined $3.4 million by a district court in Taichung after a ruling that three current and former engineers from the Taiwanese chip manufacturer stole trade secrets from a U.S. company on behalf of a rival backed by China’s government. The victim was Micron Technology Inc., one of the last U.S. semiconductor makers that’s still a global leader in its field of memory chips.