Apple accuses its former employee of passing Apple Watch secrets to Oppo. The company has filed a lawsuit alleging that former sensor systems architect Chen Shi transferred sixty-three confidential documents related to the Apple Watch’s health sensors to Oppo.

Former Apple Watch engineer in trouble

It is alleged that Shi downloaded documents from Apple’s protected files three days before leaving his position and transferred them to a USB drive the following day. The lawsuit alleges that these documents later came into Oppo’s possession. Shi, who said he would return to China to care for his family when leaving Apple, actually began working for Oppo in the US.

Apple alleges that Shi held private meetings with Apple Watch developers before his departure and attempted to gather information on Oppo’s behalf during these meetings. Shi is even alleged to have texted an Oppo executive, saying, “I am reviewing various internal materials and holding one-on-one meetings to gather as much information as possible.”

Apple argues that this situation harms the company’s long-standing investments in innovation and gives its competitors an unfair advantage. Previously, some former Apple engineers working on the autonomous vehicle project faced similar accusations.

Oppo stated that it was aware of the allegations and carefully investigated them. The company stated that it found no evidence of a connection to these allegations during its employees’ tenure at Oppo. Oppo stated that it would cooperate with the legal process and that it believed a fair trial would reveal the facts.