An Alameda County jury handed Keker & Van Nest and semiconductor giant TSMC a clear victory in a hard-fought trade secrets trial. The jury found that rival semiconductor manufacturer SMIC misappropriated trade secrets and broke a 2005 settlement between the two companies by continuing to use the information. The case will now proceed to the damages phase, at which Keker & Van Nest lawyers could ask for as much as $2 billion.
At trial, the Keker & Van Nest lawyers, led by San Francisco partner Jeffrey Chanin, riffed on the very simple theme that SMIC was a thief. Chanin compared the company to a masked robber during closing arguments last week.
“It was compelling because it was true,” Chanin said.