OPPO responds to Apple lawsuit over trade secrets theft
What's the story
Apple has accused Chinese tech giant OPPO of stealing trade secrets in a federal lawsuit. The complaint alleges that Chen Shi, an ex-Apple employee who joined OPPO, illegally accessed confidential information on health-sensing technologies for the development of a competing wearable device. Responding to the lawsuit, OPPO said it has found no evidence linking the allegations with Shi's conduct during his employment. The company also denied misappropriating Apple's trade secrets and expressed its commitment to cooperating with the legal process.
Information gathering
Shi's lies and the evidence provided by Apple
Apple's complaint reveals that Shi had told his colleagues he was returning to China to take care of his aging parents. However, that turned out to be false as he moved to an OPPO location in the US. The tech giant also provided evidence showing Shi's communication with OPPO's VP of health, where he said he'd been "reviewing various internal materials and doing a lot of 1:1 meetings in an effort to collect as much information as possible."
VP response
Implication of higher-ups at OPPO
In the same message, Shi told OPPO's VP of health that he would share all collected information later. The executive responded with an "alright" and an emoji. This minimal exchange suggests that at least one higher-up at OPPO was aware of what Shi was doing, further implicating the company in the alleged corporate espionage case.
Lawsuit details
Lawsuit details
Apple's lawsuit accuses Shi of violating a confidentiality and IP agreement, claiming that OPPO was aware of and encouraged his actions. The complaint states that the former Apple employee secretly accessed confidential documents on health-sensing technologies for OPPO's benefit to develop a competing wearable device before leaving Apple in June. Shi allegedly downloaded 63 documents from a protected folder late at night just three days before leaving Apple.