Apple filed a federal complaint accusing sensor system architect Chen Shi of secretly accessing and copying confidential documents on Apple's health-sensing technologies to benefit Oppo before leaving Apple in June. The complaint alleges Shi concealed his impending employment with Oppo, held numerous one-on-one meetings with Apple Watch team members to learn about ongoing research, downloaded 63 documents from a protected Box folder three days before departure, and transferred them to a USB drive one day before leaving. Apple alleges Shi violated confidentiality and intellectual-property agreements and claims Oppo knew of and encouraged the conduct. The case follows other Apple lawsuits over alleged employee-driven IP theft.
Apple Inc. accused smartphone maker Oppo in a lawsuit of poaching a highly paid member of the Apple Watch team and encouraging him to steal trade secrets for his new job with the Chinese firm. Sensor system architect Chen Shi secretly accessed confidential documents on Apple's health-sensing technologies for Oppo's benefit to develop a competing wearable device before departing Apple in June, according to a complaint filed Thursday in federal court in San Jose, California.
"Concealing his impending employment with a direct competitor, Dr. Shi set up and attended dozens of one-on-one meetings with Apple Watch technical team members to learn about their ongoing research," according to the complaint. In addition, "late at night just three days before leaving Apple, Dr. Shi downloaded 63 documents from a protected Box folder," according to the complaint. "He then transferred them to a USB drive one day before his departure."
Apple has filed numerous suits in recent years accusing ex-employees and rival companies of breaching contracts and stealing valuable intellectual property. At least three of the iPhone maker's former engineers who worked on its now abandoned electric vehicle autonomous driving project have been criminally prosecuted for allegedly taking secrets to China. The tech giant also has been locked in a court battle with Irvine, California-based Masimo Corp. since 2020 over smartwatch technology.
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