東芝與韓国半導体大集團和解…一齊共同開発

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line  reported  the following:

東芝、韓国の半導体大手と和解…共同開発へ

2014年12月19日 23時17分

　東芝は１９日、「ＮＡＮＤ型フラッシュメモリー」に関する技術データを不正に取得・使用したとして、韓国の半導体大手「ＳＫハイニックス」と東芝の提携先の元従業員に計約１０９１億円の損害賠償などを求めた民事訴訟で、ＳＫ社が東芝に２億７８００万ドル（約３３２億円）を支払うことで和解したと発表した。

　元従業員の杉田吉隆被告への訴訟は継続する。

　このフラッシュメモリーは、デジタルカメラや携帯電話の記憶装置として幅広く使われている。訴訟では、東芝と業務提携する米半導体メーカー「サンディスク」に勤務していた杉田被告が、職場だった東芝の四日市工場（三重県四日市市）から研究データを無断で持ち出し、２００８年に転職したＳＫ社に提供したとして争っていた。

　東芝は今回の和解を機に、ＳＫ社との間で次世代の半導体露光装置の候補とされる技術の共同開発を行うことなどで合意したと発表した。半導体事業は技術進歩のスピードが速く、裁判を継続するよりもＳＫ社との関係回復を優先した。

　東芝の田中久雄社長は「合理的な和解金の支払いを受けるとともに、今後のメモリー事業の拡大に資する形での協業を行うことが当社の利益にかなうと総合的に判断した」とのコメントを発表した。

(試譯文)

   On the 19th (December) Toshiba announced that about the technical data of "NAND type flash memory" that were acquired and used illegally, the related civil law suit, which asked for damage compensation totaling about 109,100 million yen from a major Korean semiconductor company "SK Hynix" together with its partner who was a former employee of Toshiba, was settled as SK company would pay Toshiba 278 million dollars (about 33,200 million yen).

  The law suit towards Sugita Yoshitaka the defendant who was a former employee was continuing.

  This flash memory card was used widely as memory storage device in digital camera and cellular phone. About the law suit, it was argued that Sugita the defendant while working at a semiconductor chip manufacturer "Sank disk " of the US which had a business tie-up with Toshiba, took out research data without permission from Toshiba’s Yokkaichi factory which was his workplace (Yokkaichi-city, Mie). In 2008 he changed to work for SK Company and offered the data to it.

   It was announced that what had created this reconciliation opportunity was that SK Company and Toshiba had agreed to develop jointly a technology which was a candidate for the semiconductor exposure apparatus of the next generation. As technological progress in semiconductor business was fast, relationship recovery with SK Company was given higher priority than to continue with the legal proceedings.

   President Hisao Tanaka of Toshiba made a comment that "as well as receiving reasonable settlement money payments, it is judged that from now on about the expansion of future memory card business, to have collaboration in a form of contribution would meet the company’s overall interest".

At this stage, it seems that the sole loser of this incident is the former employee of Toshiba.