US Chip-Gear Maker Sued in China Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft

Top US chip-equipment supplier Applied Materials Inc. was sued by a rival in China over what that company characterized as trade secret theft, a further escalation in the technology war between the world’s two largest economies.

Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Technology Co. filed a lawsuit with the Beijing Intellectual Property Court against Applied Materials, according to a company statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The Chinese chip-gear maker alleged that the Santa Clara, California-based company illegally obtained, used and revealed its core technologies related to the application of plasma source in treating the surface of wafers, the statement said. The court ...