Apple has taken legal action against one of its former employees, accusing him of stealing sensitive information about the Apple Watch and passing it on to Chinese smartphone maker Oppo. The lawsuit was filed in Northern California against Chen Shi, who previously worked at Apple as a Sensor System Architect.
In this role, he was highly compensated and had access to confidential details about the Apple Watch, including its design, technical documents, internal specifications, and even Apple’s future product roadmap. Apple says that Shi misused this access before leaving the company.
According to Apple, Shi told them he was leaving to return to China and care for his elderly parents. However, he allegedly did not disclose that he had already accepted a position at Oppo. Apple claims Shi met “dozens” of times with members of the Apple Watch technical team to gather details about their ongoing research.
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The lawsuit further alleges that just three days before resigning, Shi downloaded 63 files from Apple’s secure Box folder and copied them to a USB drive. Soon after, he reportedly searched for information on how to wipe a MacBook and whether his activity on shared drives could be tracked.
Apple also claims that Shi sent a message to his Oppo employers stating that he would “collect as much information as possible” for them, specifically on heart rate sensing technology. Shi now leads a team at Oppo that is working on sensing technologies.
Apple is asking the court to stop Shi and Oppo from using or sharing its trade secrets. It is also seeking restitution, damages, punitive damages and attorney’s fees.
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In response, a spokesperson for Oppo shared a statement with MacRumors, saying: “We are aware of the recent lawsuit filed by Apple in California and have carefully reviewed the allegations in Apple’s complaint. We have found no evidence establishing any connection between these allegations and the employee’s conduct during his employment at Oppo.”
“Oppo respects the trade secrets of all companies, including Apple, and OPPO has not misappropriated Apple’s trade secrets. OPPO will actively cooperate with the legal process, and we are confident that fair judicial proceedings will clarify the facts.”