Two former Transmeta Corp workers pleaded not guilty to charges they stole trade secrets from the computer-chip maker and Sun Microsystems Incs to help a Chinese company manufacture microprocessors.
The case against Fei Ye and Ming Zhong is the second time the US government has brought charges under the economic espionage provisions of a 1996 act intended to protect trade secrets. To win a conviction, the government must prove the men stole the trade secrets with the intent to benefit China. The Chinese government hasn't been accused of wrongdoing.
A federal grand jury in San Jose, California, on Wednesday indicted Ye and Zhong on 10 counts related to stealing schematics and technical information from Transmeta, Sun, Trident Microsystems Inc and NEC Corp for Hangzhou, China-based Supervision Inc.
Ye's lawyer, Paul Meltzer, said the men are wrongly accused and has sought an independent review. ``We do not believe these are proprietary secrets,'' he said.
Supervision, which is also known as Hangzhou Zhongtian Microsystems Company Ltd, had applied for funding from the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China. The company received funding from the city of Hangzhou and Ye and Zhong were working with a professor at Zhejiang University, according to the indictment. They were arrested in November 2001 while boarding a flight to China.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft