Author: Jin Ten Data

According to foreign media reports, OpenAI has requested a U.S. court to dismiss Apple’s trade secret lawsuit against it and denied allegations of stealing confidential information related to Apple’s hardware projects.

In documents submitted to the court, OpenAI stated that Apple's accusations are "baseless and have predetermined objectives," attempting to use legal means to restrict talent mobility and to cover up the issues it faces in integrating AI products and competing for talent.

This is OpenAI's first formal response to Apple’s related lawsuit. Previously, Apple (AAPL.O) accused OpenAI of using current and former employees who left Apple to obtain secret hardware project information, while OpenAI is currently advancing its artificial intelligence hardware development plans.

OpenAI's lawyers submitted documents to the U.S. Federal Court in California on Wednesday, stating that Apple's lawsuit inaccurately describes OpenAI employees' behavior, framing normal recruitment communications and post-resignation handover processes as trade secret theft.

OpenAI stated that Apple’s lawsuit “lacks thorough investigation and relies solely on selectively intercepted communication and misrepresented ordinary behavior out of context.” The company believes that Apple should not take advantage of a "baseless lawsuit with predetermined objectives" to compensate for its own issues in the talent market competition and AI product development.

OpenAI also pointed out that Apple failed to specify which particular confidential information was allegedly stolen, while inaccurately describing the information management process for employees who left Apple. OpenAI claims that some employees who left Apple were actually assisting former colleagues in completing handover tasks as per Apple’s request, rather than obtaining trade secrets.

Regarding supplier-related information, OpenAI also put forward a rebuttal. The company stated that some of the so-called "proprietary information" mentioned in Apple's lawsuit can actually be obtained through legal or public channels and therefore does not meet the definition of a trade secret.

From Partners to Litigation Opponents, the Change in Relationship Between Apple and OpenAI

This lawsuit also reflects the changing relationship between Apple and OpenAI. The two companies previously collaborated for about two years to integrate AI capabilities based on ChatGPT into iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices, but as OpenAI advanced its independent hardware strategy, the relationship gradually became strained.

OpenAI had previously acquired io Products studio, founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, for $6.4 billion. In the lawsuit, Apple stated that OpenAI has massively recruited Apple employees over the past few years, with more than 400 former Apple employees currently joining OpenAI.

OpenAI stated that since the establishment of io Products, hundreds of Apple designers and engineers have left Apple to join its new generation of device development program aimed at the AI era.

According to previous reports from the Financial Times, OpenAI is developing a handheld, screenless AI device that will perceive the surrounding environment through auditory and visual information.

Apple filed the lawsuit in July, just two years after both sides collaborated to integrate ChatGPT directly into Apple's ecosystem. Subsequently, in January of this year, Apple shifted to collaborate with Google, using the Google Gemini model to support the "AI version of Siri."

This change is seen by outsiders as an important signal of the cooling relationship between Apple and OpenAI. However, Apple devices still retain the ChatGPT integration feature.

OpenAI Rebutts Two Core Accusations

Apple focuses on accusing OpenAI's hardware head Tang Tan and former Apple engineer Chang Liu of being involved in trade secret issues in the lawsuit.

Apple stated that Tang Tan inquired about information related to secret projects during the recruitment of Apple employees and encouraged candidates to bring Apple prototype products to interviews.

OpenAI responded by saying that Tang Tan's behavior aligns with common recruitment practices in the tech industry. The company stated that understanding the projects candidates participated in, the components they were responsible for, and their engineering experience is a common practice in industry recruitment and does not equate to obtaining Apple’s confidential information.

Regarding the Chang Liu incident, Apple accused him of accessing confidential documents related to hardware projects within weeks before and after joining OpenAI. Apple claims that Chang Liu previously discovered a verification vulnerability in Apple's system and utilized this vulnerability to obtain relevant information.

OpenAI stated that Chang Liu did not actively steal documents but assisted in finding information needed for work in response to requests from former colleagues at Apple. The company submitted some text message records to the court, hoping to prove that Chang Liu's actions were in response to a request from former colleagues, not an attempt to obtain trade secrets.

OpenAI also pointed out flaws in Apple's own data management practices. The company stated that Apple previously allowed employees to use personal iCloud accounts to handle work content, causing corporate data and personal data to be stored together, while failing to effectively manage access permissions across multiple systems when employees left the company.

The Court Will Hear Apple's Temporary Restraining Order Application

One day before OpenAI submitted its response, Apple had already applied to the court for a temporary restraining order, requesting OpenAI to stop using its so-called stolen trade secrets and return any materials containing Apple’s confidential information.

If the court approves, the injunction will remain in effect during the litigation proceedings. OpenAI needs to respond to Apple's preliminary injunction request by August 17, and the court plans to hold a related hearing on October 1.

The case is numbered Apple v. Liu, case number 5:26-cv-07078, and is being heard by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division.

The judge presiding over the case, Edward Davila, has previously overseen high-profile cases, including the criminal trials of Elizabeth Holmes, former CEO of the U.S. biotech company Theranos, and her business partner Sunny Balwani from 2021 to 2022.