The employee’s LinkedIn page says that he worked on the MacBook Pro’s TouchBar, among other things.
Sarah Tew / CNET
Apple says a former product design employee stole information about hardware products, unannounced features and future plans and leaked it to a journalist, who violated the company’s non-disclosure policies and trade secret laws.
In the case, which was filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California on Thursday, Apple set out a working relationship between a former employee, Simon Lancaster, and an unnamed journalist. The technology giant claims that Lancaster used its access to the company to download confidential information and attend meetings to pass on this media contact. Apple said it attended one of its last meetings with the company about ‘Project X’ as it was called in the submission, after resigning, despite being instructed by others not to attend. Apple Insider reported the news earlier.
“Tens of thousands of Apple employees work tirelessly every day on new products, services and features in the hope of delighting our customers and enabling them to change the world,” an Apple spokesman said in an email. . “Stealing ideas and confidential information undermines their efforts, and harms Apple and our customers.”
Lancaster did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lancaster’s website and LinkedIn page say he worked on product design on the MacBook Pro TouchBar, the Apple Watch and iPhone, among others. He has been listed on more than a dozen patents and patent applications while working for the company.
Apple’s lawsuit is the latest example of how long the company has been trying to protect its secret product plans, and how difficult it has become. Secrecy and hype have been part of Apple’s culture since the earliest years, when co-founder Steve Jobs unveiled the Macintosh computer after a 1984-inspired Super Bowl ad. Shortly after Tim Cook took over as CEO a decade ago, he promised to ‘double off“on secrecy, while promising that the company has exciting product plans.
However, the company’s strict control over information did not always work out. Apple’s vast supply chain, offices on several continents and more than 147,000 employees as of September last year make it almost impossible to keep anything secret.
Apple said it “strictly” controls who is “revealed” about a project before they can access information. Those who do have access to information can sponsor those who do not, Apple said, but they must submit a request and include the case’s justification. Apple uses internal software tools to manage and maintain all requests for disclosure.
Apple said Lancaster ‘remains a constant threat of mismanagement’ and says it does not know how much information Lancaster has.
The company is seeking damages and punitive damages, as well as coercive relief. It asks for a jury trial.