Posted on 11/05/2003 11:16:58 AM PST by NativeNewYorker
Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Two former Transmeta Corp. workers must stand trial on charges they stole trade secrets from their employer and Sun Microsystems Inc. to help a Chinese company manufacture microprocessors, a judge ruled.
U.S. District Judge James Ware in San Jose, California, rejected Fei Ye and Ming Zhong's request to dismiss the government's trade secrets case. Their lawyers argued the charges, brought under the U.S. Economic Espionage Act, were unconstitutional.
The case against the engineers is the second time the U.S. government has brought charges under the provisions of a 1996 act intended to protect trade secrets. The men are accused of stealing technical data for Hangzhou, China-based Supervision Inc.
Ware refused to dismiss the case in an order dated Nov. 3, saying Congress has the authority to ``regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the states.''
The case is U.S v. Fei Ye and Ming Zhong 02-CR-20145, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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