Recently, Apple filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California, alleging that Chen Shi, a former Apple Watch sensor system architect, downloaded 63 confidential documents and took them to OPPO before leaving the company. These documents covered core areas such as photoplethysmography (PPG), electrocardiogram (ECG), temperature sensing technology, and chip engineering, even including product roadmaps. Apple's lawsuit alleges that Chen Shi transferred the files to a USB drive and frequently met with colleagues to obtain information. Internal chat logs show that he told OPPO's vice president of health business that he was "collecting Apple information," to which the vice president responded with an "OK" emoji.
OPPO's legal department responded quickly, emphasizing that its review found no evidence linking the allegations to the employee's conduct at OPPO and pledging to respect trade secrets and cooperate with legal proceedings. Notably, Apple also disclosed that Chen Shi had searched for "how to clear a MacBook" and used caring for his parents as a pretext for leaving the company.
On a legal level, Apple, citing the 2016 Trade Secrets Protection Act and a confidentiality agreement, sought to injunct OPPO from using the technology in question and to pursue legal action for breach of contract. This type of lawsuit is not the first in Silicon Valley; Apple has previously engaged in similar actions in the Rivos chip case and the Vision Pro engineer case. Apple emphasizes that health sensor technology is a core competitive advantage in its wearable devices, and that if acquired by competitors, it would bypass R&D barriers and disrupt the market. The progress of the case is currently attracting industry attention, and the judicial hearing may be the key to clarifying the facts.
