Police apprehended suspects from four provinces in a recent raid.

Seven suspects have been apprehended for alleged infringement on business secrets of a well-known sports brand, Shanghai police said today.

Police said they began their investigation last November after finding information related to the brand's inventory, discounts and product shipment dates on several mobile apps without the company's authorization.

The name of the brand was not disclosed.

That information was classified as business secrets that could yield revenue for the company, police said.

A man surnamed Han and another surnamed Cai were soon connected to the apps, and police found they paid three people — identified as employees in the brand's stores — after every update of the information.

Han and Cai were allegedly introduced to the three in March of 2019 and began purchasing business secrets from them.

On the apps, they charged users for access to the information and sold the products related to it.

They were rounded up in Jiangsu, Shandong, Hubei and Fujianprovinces and placed under coercive restrictive measures.