Ex-employees of this major phone maker are now sentenced to jail for stealing chip secrets
A court in Shanghai has sentenced the former staff for misappropriating trade secrets related to chip technology, according to reports. The ruling was issued recently by the Shanghai Third Intermediate People's Court and found the individuals guilty of stealing intellectual property after they left Huawei's chip division, HiSilicon, to form a new company. The convicted employees were working for the start-up Zunpai Communication Technology and received prison sentences of up to six years, in addition to financial penalties. As of now, the court has not made the full ruling publicly available, the overseas media informs us, and it remains unclear whether the defendants plan to appeal. Huawei has not issued a comment in response to the verdict. The case has sent a ripple through China's semiconductor sector, drawing fresh attention to ongoing concerns about intellectual property protection. According to the reports, Zhang Kun, previously a researcher at HiSilicon, left Huawei in 2019 and launched Zunpai in March 2021 with the goal of developing Wi-Fi communication chips. He succeeded in recruiting several of his former colleagues to join the venture. Huawei responded swiftly. In August 2023, a legal filing revealed that Shanghai HiSilicon Technology, a Huawei subsidiary, petitioned the Shanghai Intellectual Property Court to freeze assets worth 95 million yuan (approximately US$13.1 million) belonging to Zunpai and its related entities.Whoever said the smartphone world is a boring one, is mistaken.
Some iPhone screens are made by BOE. | Image by PhoneArena
Mere hours ago, it became known that trouble continues to mount for Chinese display maker BOE. Following reports that Apple may drop the company over cracking issues with iPhone 17 screens – and the looming threat of a US trade ban – BOE now faces the possibility of a new investigation by the US Department of Defense. As we told you, the inquiry would be launched at the request of the House Armed Services Committee as part of an amendment to the $852 billion US defense budget currently under review. Lawmakers suspect BOE may be supporting China's military through government-subsidized production of small display technologies with potential military uses.The Secretary of Defense has until February 1, 2026, to determine whether BOE or its affiliates should be classified as military-linked companies. If added to the list, BOE could be barred from supplying the US military, though it would still be allowed to do business with American commercial clients – including Apple.
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