Apple sues former Oppo employee for stealing Apple Watch trade secrets
Apple has filed a lawsuit against Chen Xi, a former Apple employee who moved to Chinese smartphone maker Oppo. Apple claims Xi stole Apple trade secrets related to the Apple Watch and leaked them to his new employer, Oppo.
Apple accuses former Apple Watch staffer of conspiring to steal trade secrets for Oppo | The Verge
According to the complaint filed by Apple in court, Shi had dozens of meetings with members of the Apple Watch development team before moving to Oppo, where he learned about their work and downloaded 63 documents from a 'protected folder' onto a USB drive.
It was also revealed that Shi had searched the internet for keywords such as 'How to erase data from a MacBook' and 'Can I check if I opened a file on a shared drive?' on the MacBook provided by Apple while he was employed by the company. According to Apple, Shi had sent a message to Oppo saying he was 'gathering as much information as possible' before moving to Oppo.
Shi was involved in the design of Apple's sensor systems, and according to Apple, he was involved in the development of Apple's cutting-edge healthcare-related sensor technology, including 'confidential roadmaps, designs, development documents, and specifications for ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor technology.'
Shi leads a team at Oppo working on developing sensing technology, and Apple claims it obtained the information from 'messages left on an Apple-issued work iPhone.'
When Shi left Apple, he cited 'personal and family reasons' as the reason for his departure. However, Apple discovered Shi's attempts to steal trade secrets after his Apple-issued iPhone revealed his communications with Oppo.
Apple alleges that messages between Shi and Oppo show that Oppo 'encouraged, approved, and agreed to Shi's plans to steal Apple trade secrets before he left Apple.'
The Verge, a technology media outlet, has reached out to Oppo for comment on the lawsuit, but reports that 'Oppo's mailbox was full and the email was returned.'
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