Apple accuses Android brand of trade secret theft in wearable tech showdown

Corporate espionage is more common than many of us realize, but two tech giants are at the center of a particularly dramatic example right now. A former Apple Watch engineer is the key player in a new lawsuit, with Apple accusing him of secretly gathering trade secrets for rival OPPO before jumping ship.

As reported by Bloomberg, the complaint filed in federal court alleges that Chen Shi, a sensor system architect at Apple, concealed his plans to join OPPO and instead told colleagues he was returning to China to care for his parents. Apple says that while still employed, he attended dozens of one-on-one meetings with Watch technical staff to gather information about ongoing health-sensing research.

The lawsuit further claims that just three days before leaving Apple in June, Shi downloaded 63 protected documents late at night, transferring them to a USB drive the day before his departure. In one cited message to OPPO’s vice president of health, Shi allegedly wrote that he was “collecting as much information as possible” to share later. The executive reportedly replied with an “OK” emoji.

Apple argues that OPPO not only knew of Shi’s actions but encouraged them, giving the Chinese phone maker an inside track on developing competing wearable technology. According to the complaint, Shi has since joined OPPO’s Silicon Valley research unit.

Apple has a history of targeting ex-employees and rivals over alleged intellectual property theft, including cases tied to its abandoned self-driving car project and a long-running smartwatch patent battle with Masimo.