OpenAI Denies Apple's Trade Secret Theft Allegations in Court Filing
3 sources across 3 countries · Brazil · Japan · United Kingdom
Who reported this
- CNN Brasil
- The Japan Times
- Reuters
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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Every outlet covering this story shares the same political lean; read with that in mind.
OpenAI has denied allegations from Apple that it stole trade secrets, describing the legal dispute as a confusion created by Apple. The conflict stems from a lawsuit filed in July by Apple against OpenAI and two former Apple employees, Tang Tan and Chang Liu. Apple accuses the parties of misappropriating trade secrets regarding hardware design, manufacturing, and supply chain operations as OpenAI expands into consumer devices.
OpenAI argues in a filing to a U.S. District Court in San Jose that Apple has failed to prove any confidential information was stolen. The AI developer claims Apple is using the lawsuit to hinder a competitor and discourage employees from leaving. According to court documents, OpenAI hired approximately 400 former Apple employees for its hardware initiative. OpenAI further asserts that California law allows employees to move freely between competitors.
OpenAI contends that Apple's own internal policies contributed to the situation. The company alleges that Apple encourages employees to use personal iCloud accounts for work, making it difficult to separate personal and corporate data. Additionally, OpenAI claims Apple's policy of immediately escorting departing employees out of the building does not provide sufficient time to return devices or transfer files.
In the filings, Chang Liu stated that any post employment access to documents was intended to help former colleagues. Tang Tan stated he returned company prototypes and only kept non confidential materials. Meanwhile, Apple has filed a brief for expedited pretrial fact finding, claiming that OpenAI is using confidential material and destroying evidence.
How each side framed it
- Centre
- The center leaning outlets focused on the legal arguments from both sides, detailing OpenAI's defense regarding employee mobility and Apple's claims of evidence destruction.
Sources
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