Apple accuses former employee and Chinese company Oppo of stealing trade secrets

Apple has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in California, accusing Chinese smartphone maker Oppo of misappropriating trade secrets. The case centers on Chen Shi, a former sensor systems architect on the Apple Watch team who the company claims gave Oppo internal design information for wearables, Bloomberg reports.

According to Apple, before his dismissal in June 2025, Chen Shi secretly copied confidential documents related to the development of health monitoring systems. These materials, the company claims, were used to create a competing wearable device at Oppo.

The lawsuit says that Chen Shi hid his intentions to join Oppo and instead said he was "returning to China to take care of his aging parents."

Apple says the former employee had access to internal research and technical specifications that were not intended for outsiders. The company believes Oppo knowingly facilitated the breach of confidentiality to gain an advantage in the wearables market.

The lawsuit does not specify what device Oppo is developing, but Apple insists that the former employee's actions violated a confidentiality agreement and intellectual property rights and harmed its innovative developments. The company is seeking a trial and damages.

Oppo has not officially commented on the allegations at the time of publication, and Chen Shi has also not commented on the situation.