TSMC is alleging that SMIC infringed on chip-making patents and misappropriated trade secrets Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) said Wednesday it will defend itself against the latest allegations of patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation made by rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC).On Aug. 18, TSMC expanded an existing patent-infringement suit against SMIC by filing a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).The original suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and alleged that SMIC, of Shanghai, had infringed on five of TSMC’s chip-making patents and misappropriated trade secrets. SMIC has denied the allegations and has consistently said that it respects the intellectual property of others. The ITC complaint filed by TSMC, of Hsinchu, Taiwan, 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. TSMC also filed a patent-infringement suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California over the three patents.SMIC is currently analyzing the most recent claims made by TSMC and will defend itself against the allegations, the company said in a statement. The statement is SMIC’s first response to the ITC suit filed by TSMC.SMIC’s statement ended with an appeal for cooperation with other chip makers, including those from Taiwan, to jointly develop China’s growing semiconductor market. “Advocating fair and friendly competition, SMIC is willing to share its China experience,” it said. SMIC is the largest chip maker in China. Technology Industry