Chip maker alleges rival misappropriated trade secrets, infringed on patents Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC), of Hsinchu, Taiwan, has expanded its patent-infringement fight against rival contract chip maker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) by filing a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).In December of last year, TSMC filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that alleged SMIC, of Shanghai, had infringed on five of TSMC’s chip-making patents and misappropriated trade secrets. The suit, which is ongoing, seeks monetary damages and a permanent injunction against SMIC. SMIC has denied the allegations.The Aug. 18 complaint filed by TSMC with the ITC alleged that SMIC misappropriated trade secrets and has infringed on three additional patents and seeks an injunction to ban the import of certain SMIC products into the U.S., according to a TSMC statement filed with the Taiwan Stock Exchange on Aug. 20. TSMC has also filed a lawsuit against SMIC in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California over these three patents, the statement said.Reached for comment on Monday, SMIC spokeswoman Sarina Huang said the company had yet to receive official notification of TSMC’s complaint and reaffirmed the company’s earlier denials of the allegations of patent infringement and trade-secret misappropriation made by TSMC.“SMIC always respects any third party’s intellectual property,” Huang said. Technology Industry