Chinese Chipmaker Cleared in U.S. Criminal Trade Secrets Case

(Bloomberg) — A Chinese chipmaker was cleared of economic espionage and other criminal charges in a setback for a U.S. Justice Department crackdown on intellectual property theft by China.

More than five years after the Commerce Department blacklisted Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. Ltd. as a threat to national security, U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney in San Francisco found the company not guilty following a non-jury trial. Her ruling on Tuesday may temper the Biden administration’s pursuit of aggressive prosecutions to protect American technology.