Dear Godfree,
Can you and/or your family/friends/team/associates spend a little more time to do thorough research before posting your "opinions"? It will greatly improve the creditability and quality of your postings even if you are under the pressure of deadline or some other expectations. If you or your associates can't access Google, Bing, and Yahoo search engines easily, then please try use VPN to access them. I have to say those common Chinese search engines such as Baidu, Sogou, Shenma, or Haosou (360) try to filter out too much evil bad information in order to protect you but end up remove too much real and useful information.
If you can't access Google, Bing, and Yahoo and you can't use VPN, I think at least you can read the verdict handed down by "Beijing Higher Court" (北京市高级人民法院) in 2009 about SMIC suing TSMC for alleged unfair business practice related to the TSMC's lawsuit against SMIC's IP piracy.
URL Link:
The final verdict: TSMC won, SMIC lost. The Beijing Higher Court can't agree SMIC's reasons and evidences.
判决如下: 驳回中芯国际集成电路制造有限公司、中芯国际集成电路制造(上海)有限公司、中芯国际集成电路制造(北京)有限公司的诉讼请求。
And below is the second settlement announcement (in 2009, first one was in 2005) that SMIC and TSMC agreed. From the 2005 and 2009 settlements, SMIC paid US$335 million to TSMC and "both parties also agreed to terminate the patent cross-licensing agreement signed in 2005".
TSMC Announces Settlement of SMIC Trade Secret Litigation
Hist78, good one! Love your post!