Apple has settled its lawsuit towards Simon Lancaster, a former design architect, who the corporate accused of stealing commerce secrets and techniques and sharing them with a journalist. The firm filed its go well with in March 2021, and the settlement order was permitted by a choose this week.

“Despite over a decade of employment at Apple, Lancaster abused his position and trust within the company to systematically disseminate Apple’s sensitive trade secret information in an effort to obtain personal benefits,” Apple wrote in its authentic criticism. “He used his seniority to gain access to internal meetings and documents outside the scope of his job’s responsibilities containing Apple’s trade secrets, and he provided these trade secrets to his outside media correspondent.”

Lancaster and the unnamed correspondent first made contact in November 2018, in accordance with Apple’s criticism, and the corporate accused Lancaster of sharing particulars of unreleased {hardware}, unannounced characteristic modifications, and future product bulletins with the correspondent. Apple additionally alleged that Lancaster downloaded confidential paperwork simply earlier than leaving the corporate in November 2019 that might “assist his new employer,” Arris Composites. (Lancaster left Arris in 2021, in accordance with his LinkedIn.)

As a part of the settlement, Lancaster can pay an undisclosed sum to Apple and is barred from “disclosing, communicating, transferring, discussing, or using any Confidential Information, in any form, without Apple’s express prior written authorization,” in accordance with the order. Apple and Lancaster didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.