Former Apple Employee Responds to Lawsuit Accusing Him of Leaking Trade Secrets to Media
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$59.99 (as of 17:37 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Last month, Apple filed a suit against Simon Lancaster, a former staff member who apparently utilized his senior position within the business to steal “delicate trade secret details” that he then supplied to a reporter.
Lancaster reacted to the complaint this week in California court. In his official response, acquired by MacRumors, Lancaster denied that he abused his position and trust within the business, methodically disseminated Apples trade trick information, or poorly utilized his seniority to get to internal conferences and documents.
Lancaster admitted that he did communicate with a tech press reporter “concerning Apple items and workplace problems he considered to be of public issue,” but he denied that he was a “source” for “unspecified” posts published by the reporter:
Lancaster admits that he communicated with a reporter covering innovation concerns concerning Apple items and work environment concerns he thought about to be of public concern– namely, declared corruption within Apples supply chain and among Apples supply chain managers. Lancaster lacks enough understanding or info to confess or reject the accusations included in Paragraph 2 of the Complaint that he was a “source” for unspecified “posts” released by the press reporter, and rejects those allegations of Paragraph 2 on that basis.
In specific, Lancaster stated that he exchanged direct messages with a reporter in November 2018, with interaction continuing into 2019. Lancaster also revealed that he satisfied “socially” with the press reporter personally on or around September 3, 2019, including “for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with Apple.”
Lancaster validated that he attended a big company occasion at Apples headquarters in October 2019, after getting an e-mail invite from Apple to attend the conference. Throughout the occasion, Lancaster received a text message from a remarkable asking him to leave the event, at which point he right away left, according to his response. Apple alleged that this business event talked about “sensitive trade secret details,” including “Project X.”
Lancaster indicated that his final day of work at Apple was November 1, 2019, which late in the evening on that day, he went to Apples system to “send goodbye emails to his associates.” Lancaster denied that he downloaded secret information to assist his new employer, as declared in Apples complaint.
Lancaster confesses that after he resigned his work with Apple, he began operating at a company that acted as a vendor for Apple. Lancaster rejects that any conduct by him has produced any harm or damage to Apple, and particularly denies that he ever utilized any Apple info either for the advantage of his new company or in connection with his subsequent work.
Lancaster admitted that, in October 2019, he proposed writing a story to the reporter about his departure from Apple. He likewise exposed that he continued to interact with the reporter concerning Apple products after he revealed his resignation.
In his response, Lancaster goes on to confess that he asked for that the press reporter release stories beneficial to a start-up in which he had invested, but rejected that such requests were in exchange for any info talked about with the press reporter or had any relationship to Apple secret information.
Lancaster eventually denied much of Apples claims “on the ground that he lacks adequate knowledge or info to confess or reject them and/or on the ground that they mention legal conclusions to which no action is needed.”
Weve ingrained Lancasters complete answer below with more information. As with Apples initial complaint, its a remarkable read that provides a more detailed take a look at Apples culture of secrecy and the efforts that the company requires to secure its intellectual home.