Oppo’s Deadline Approaches: Final Hours to Provide Apple with Evidence on Engineer Who Allegedly Stole Apple Watch Secrets

In a developing legal drama, Oppo finds itself racing against the clock to provide crucial documents and forensic device reports related to an ex-Apple engineer. This legal tussle revolves around allegations of intellectual property theft, where Oppo stands accused of facilitating illicit activities aimed at appropriating proprietary information from Apple.

Allegations Against Oppo: The Chen Shi Incident

To provide clarity on this intricate case, let’s outline the key events leading up to this point:

In August, Apple leveled formal accusations against Chen Shi, claiming he misappropriated sensitive information concerning Apple Watch sensors.
The tech giant alleges that Shi illicitly downloaded 63 confidential files onto a USB drive prior to his departure from the company.
Furthermore, it was discovered that Shi delivered a presentation regarding Apple’s proprietary sensor technology to a significant audience at Oppo.
This presentation, titled “Apple’s Sensor Hardware R&D Philosophy and Methodology, ”featured the provocative question, “Are you curious about how Apple’s sensors are developed?”
According to Apple, during this presentation and the following Q&A session, Shi divulged confidential trade secrets.
Apple also asserts that Oppo played an active role in facilitating this intellectual property theft.
Both companies are currently embroiled in a legal confrontation within the United States District Court, Northern District of California, San Jose Division. The case is formally referred to as Apple v. Shi.
Notably, Apple claims that Shi erased evidence of his alleged IP theft from Oppo’s systems after the lawsuit was initiated.

In response to these events, Apple is pursuing injunctive relief on multiple fronts:

Shi must be prohibited from disseminating additional information to Oppo.
Apple seeks the right to audit the data sources utilized by Shi.
Oppo should be restrained from advancing any products that incorporate the allegedly stolen intellectual property from Apple.
Employees at Oppo who had access to the stolen IP should be isolated from any technologies that might create competitive contexts.

Addressing the allegations, Oppo asserts that a thorough examination of its systems revealed no evidence of receiving Apple’s trade secrets from Shi. The Chinese manufacturer argues that the content of Shi’s presentation pertained purely to general engineering concepts, lacking proprietary details.

Chen Shi has agreed to engage in a deposition. However, he has expressed health issues, leading him to request limitations on the deposition’s duration from Judge DeMarchi.

In the meantime, the court has mandated that Oppo must submit all relevant documentation and forensic device reports to Apple by October 31. Should Oppo opt for a phased delivery of this data, they are required to commence sharing it starting from October 28, culminating by the 31st.

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