Apple Sues Oppo for Alleged Theft of Confidential Technology and Trade Secrets

Apple sues Oppo and former employee Chen Shi for allegedly stealing confidential technology and health-sensing research. Shi, a former Apple Watch engineer, secretly downloaded internal documents and attended meetings to gather information before joining Oppo's US-based research arm. Apple claims Shi misled colleagues about his departure and that Oppo encouraged him to steal the data. The lawsuit alleges that Shi searched online for ways to cover his tracks and that Oppo's Vice President of Health responded to his message with an "OK" emoji.

Apple Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Oppo and former Apple Watch engineer Chen Shi, accusing them of stealing confidential technology and health-sensing research. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in San Jose, California, alleges that Shi, who worked at Apple from January 2020 until June 2025, secretly downloaded internal documents and attended meetings to gather information before joining Oppo's US-based research arm.

According to the complaint, Shi misled his colleagues at Apple by falsely claiming that he was returning to China to take care of his aging parents. In reality, he had already taken a position at Oppo. Before his departure, Shi downloaded 63 documents from a protected Box folder and transferred them to a USB drive [1].

Apple alleges that Shi violated his confidentiality and IP agreement and that Oppo encouraged him to steal the data. The lawsuit also includes an email exchange between Shi and Oppo's Vice President of Health, Zi Zijing Zeng, Ph.D., in which Shi wrote that he was "reviewing various internal materials and doing a lot of 1:1 meetings in an effort to collect as much information as possible—will share with you all later." Zeng responded with "alright" and an "OK" emoji [3].

Apple seeks punitive damages, injunctions to stop Oppo and Shi from using its trade secrets or destroying evidence, attorneys' fees, and other reliefs as the court deems appropriate [1]. The lawsuit underscores the growing tension between U.S. tech firms and Chinese competitors in the wearable technology sector.

References:
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-22/apple-claims-ex-employee-china-s-oppo-stole-trade-secrets
[2] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/apple-claims-former-employee-chinas-oppo-stole-trade-secrets/articleshow/123480602.cms
[3] https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/22/apple-drags-ex-apple-watch-engineer-to-court-over-oppo-trade-secret-leak/