TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TSMC filed an interim injunction against former Senior Vice President Luo Wei-jen (羅唯仁) on Tuesday to prevent him from sharing trade secrets with competitor Intel.

The move follows the chipmaker’s lawsuit filed on Monday. An interim injunction preserves the status quo to prevent a dispute from escalating, per Liberty Times.

The Intellectual Property and Commercial Court confirmed it received TSMC’s petition on Monday, per UDN. TSMC explained that Luo was transferred in March to Corporate Strategy Development.

Despite the transfer, he allegedly continued to request information from R&D staff for advanced process technologies.

During his tenure, Luo signed confidentiality and non-compete agreements. In a July 22 exit interview, TSMC Vice President and General Counsel Fang Shu-hua (方淑華) reminded him of these obligations, and Luo said he would work at an academic institution.

After leaving TSMC, Luo joined Intel as executive vice president. TSMC said this was viewed as a high risk that he could disclose trade secrets, prompting the company to pursue legal action.

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University law scholar Lin Chih-chieh (林志潔) commented that the court could also bar Intel from using any trade secrets or sensitive information Luo might provide.