A new court filing by Apple claims that Chinese smartphone maker Oppo recruited a former Apple Watch engineer who stole trade secret information from Apple and then gave a presentation on that data to hundreds of Oppo employees, according to MacRumors.
This is a follow-up to a lawsuit Apple filed a lawsuit in Northern California in August against Chen Shi, a former employee who left Apple and took a job at Chinese smartphone maker Oppo. According to Apple, Shi stole trade secrets relating to Apple Watch development and provided the information to Oppo. The lawsuit says that when he resigned at Apple, he didn’t tell his colleagues that he was going to work at OPPO, but claimed he was returning to China to care for his family.
Apple says in the weeks leading up to his departure, Dr. Shi undertook to gather highly sensitive information about Apple Watch to assist the OPPO Defendants’ development of a competing wearable.
Concealing his impending employment with a direct competitor, he allegedly set up and attended dozens of one-on-one meetings with Apple Watch technical team members to learn about their ongoing research and development efforts, including their work on optical sensors, temperature sensors, and ECG sensors. Apple further claims that Shi also gathered documents detailing key aspects of its health-sensing technologies and gave them to Oppo.
Apple says he knew his conduct was inappropriate and that Oppo also knew of his activities, which they “condoned and encouraged.”
Apple is asking for an injunction prohibiting Oppo and Shi from using or disclosing Apple’s trade secrets, restitution, damages, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees.
Oppo denies this and had this to say in a statement to MacRumors in August: 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.
I hope you’ll help support Apple World Today by becoming a patron. All our income is from Patreon support and sponsored posts. Patreon pricing ranges from $2 to $10 a month. Thanks in advance for your support.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today
