苹果供应商保密协议或被公布

The confidential deals Apple strikes with suppliers have been dragged into public view by the bankruptcy last week of a key component maker in Arizona.

上周，苹果(Apple)在亚利桑那州的一家关键组件制造商申请破产，导致苹果与供应商间的保密协议被拖进公众视野。

Details of Apple’s non-disclosure agreements, which suppliers are not allowed to acknowledge, have emerged in court filings by GT Advanced Technologies, including the $50m penalty the iPhone maker imposes for any leak of product information.

苹果的保密协议细节（协议要求供应商不得供认这些细节）已出现在GT Advanced Technologies提交法院的文件中，这些细节包括，若产品信息有任何泄漏，苹果将对泄密方处以5000万美元罚款。

Ahead of a court hearing tomorrow, GT’s lawyers are arguing that even more information about its relationship with Apple should be published, in the interests of creditors and shareholders.

明天法院将举行庭审。GT的律师在开庭前主张，为债权人和股东的利益起见，应将GT与苹果关系的更多细节公之于众。

In filings last week, the manufacturer called its supplier agreement with Apple “oppressive and burdensome”. That marked a sudden about-turn by the Nasdaq-listed company, which a year ago was enthusing to shareholders how the partnership would transform it. Creditors and bondholders are together owed more than $500m by GT.

GT在上周提交给法院的文件中称，其与苹果达成的供应商协议是“压迫性的和苛刻的”。此事标志着这家纳斯达克(Nasdaq)上市公司的态度突然发生了180度的转变。一年前，该公司还在兴奋地向股东表示与苹果的合作关系会让公司发生多大的改观。GT现在欠债权人和债券持有人合计超过5亿美元。

With the exact circumstances leading up to GT’s sudden filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection unclear, other companies in Apple’s supply chain are watching the case with nervous interest.

现在还不清楚在GT依据美国《破产法》第11章申请破产保护前到底发生了什么，苹果供应链中的其他公司正在紧张地关注此案。

Most of Apple’s suppliers are in Asia but under chief executive Tim Cook, it has worked to expand its US supply chain. Its $3,000 Mac Pro has been manufactured in Texas since December.

苹果的供应商大多在亚洲，但在首席执行官蒂姆•库克(Tim Cook)的领导下，苹果已努力扩大其在美国的供应链。去年12月以来，该公司售价3000美元的Mac Pro一直是在得克萨斯州制造的。

Last November, Apple said it would lend GT $578m to help it set up a sapphire manufacturing facility in Arizona. Though neither party would comment on what the synthetic sapphire would be used for, analysts concluded that it was probably destined to replace the hardened glass used in the iPhone’s screen. Apple has since said its Watch accessory will also come with a sapphire screen.

去年11月，苹果曾表示它会借给GT 5.78亿美元，帮助后者在亚利桑那州建立一家蓝宝石制造工厂。虽然双方都不愿就这种人造蓝宝石的用途置评，但分析师推断，它很可能会被用来取代iPhone屏幕所用的强化玻璃。苹果之后表示，Apple Watch也将使用蓝宝石屏。

Encouraged by tax breaks, both companies had trumpeted the partnership for creating hundreds of jobs.

受税收减免措施激励，这两家公司都曾大肆宣扬这一合作关系会创造数百个就业岗位。

Under the agreement with GT, Apple was to design and build a facility near Phoenix, and lease it to GT, drawing power from a purpose-built solar array.

根据与GT达成的协议，苹果要在凤凰城附近设计建造一家工厂并出租给GT，其电力将来自专为该厂建造的太阳能电池阵。

But barely a year later, GT filed for bankruptcy. This came as a shock to Wall Street, which sold down its stock by more than 90 per cent in a day, and Apple itself.

但刚过了一年，GT就申请破产。这件事对华尔街和苹果自身都构成了冲击。华尔街在一天内抛出了90%以上的GT股票。

“We are focused on preserving jobs in Arizona following GT’s surprising decision and we will continue to work with state and local officials as we consider our next steps,” Apple said.

苹果表示：“在GT作出这一惊人决定后，我们的工作重点在于保住亚利桑那州的就业岗位。我们将继续与该州及当地官员合作，共同思考后续行动。”

While GT is looking to blame its deal with Apple for its financial difficulties, it already faces a class-action lawsuit from angry shareholders who claim that it “misrepresented and/or concealed” its financial position, its ability to meet Apple’s requirements and its progress on manufacturing the sapphire.

虽然GT打算将其财务困境归罪于与苹果的协议，但它已遭到愤怒股东的集体诉讼。这些股东称，GT“歪曲和/或隐瞒”自身财务状况、满足苹果要求的能力以及制造蓝宝石的进展。

GT did not respond to requests for comment.

GT没有回复记者的置评请求。

As recently as August, GT said in an earnings call that it was confident it would meet the operational targets and receive its final prepayment of $139m, which had been due by the end of this month. But when the iPhone 6 was revealed last month without mention of a sapphire screen, GT’s stock tumbled.

就在今年8月，GT还在财报电话会议上表示，它相信自己能够实现经营目标和收到1.39亿美元的最终预付款——这笔款项应于本月底前给付。但苹果上月发布iPhone 6时未提到蓝宝石屏，GT股价随后暴跌。

Few suppliers are able to achieve a higher profit margin than Apple itself, which reported gross margins of 39.4 per cent in its June quarter. Long-term partners have become accustomed to its demanding financial terms, in part because they have been able to ride on the back of Apple’s rapid growth.

很少有供应商能实现高于苹果自身的利润率。苹果财报显示，在截至今年6月的这个季度，该公司的毛利率为39.4%。苹果的长期合作伙伴已对其苛刻的财务条款习以为常，部分原因在于它们能从苹果的高速增长中捞到好处。

GT appears to be the first of its thousands of suppliers to run into such public financial distress. It is already beginning to wind down the sapphire manufacturing operations related to Apple products, which it said cost it $1m a day, leading to the loss of 890 jobs, out of 1,110 full-time employees.

在苹果的数千家供应商当中，GT似乎成为了首家遭遇这种公开财务困境的公司。GT已开始逐步关停与苹果产品有关的蓝宝石制造业务，它表示，此举造成的损失达每天100万美元，还导致1110名全职员工中有890人被裁员。

GT hopes that lifting the veil of secrecy that Apple has imposed will help its case. It asked the court for permission to file unredacted details of its situation “in the interest of their creditors, equity holders and other stakeholders, as well as to ensure an open, transparent and fair process”.

GT希望，揭下苹果硬罩在双方协议上的神秘面纱能有利于自己的案子。GT请求法院“为了GT债权人、股权持有人及其他利益相关者的利益，以及为了确保程序的公开、透明和公平”，批准它无保留地在文件中披露其详细情况。

In court filings, GT said that Apple’s non-disclosure agreements “provide that each breach of the confidentiality obligations will require GTAT Corp to pay liquidated damages to Apple in an amount of $50m per occurrence”.

GT在提交给法院的文件中表示，苹果的保密协议“规定，GTAT公司每违反一次保密义务，就须向苹果支付5000万美元违约金。”

The case could break legal ground as judges must weigh the rights of corporate confidentiality against those of creditors in a bankrupt company.

本案可能开创法律界的一个先例，因为法官必须就企业的保密权利与破产企业债权人的权利作出权衡。

GT says Apple’s non-disclosure agreements give the iPhone maker “disproportionate power”.

GT表示，苹果的保密协议赋予这家iPhone制造商“过分的权力”。

“GTAT also believes that Congress’s express desire for public access in bankruptcy cases . . . outweighs contractual demands for secrecy,” it said in its request to unseal certain filings. “However, absent express direction from the court, GTAT will not risk exposing itself to potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in additional liabilities.” The judge approved its request, setting the stage for further revelations this week.

GT请求公开它提交的某些文件，它表示：“GTAT还认为，美国国会关于破产案应向公众透明的明确愿望……比合同的保密要求更重要。不过，如果法院不给出明确的指示，GTAT不会冒险让自身背上可能达数亿美元的额外债务。”法官批准了GT的请求，这为本周披露更多的信息奠定了基础。