Apple and OpenAI Legal Dispute Escalates

Apple is intensifying its legal action against OpenAI, one of the leaders in artificial intelligence, and is seeking a preliminary injunction. According to ixbt.com, the move comes amid allegations that the iPhone maker’s technologies and trade secrets were unlawfully appropriated. The company is concerned that the involvement of former employees in the case may be broader than initially thought. TechCrunch.com reports on this.

According to new court documents, Apple is requesting expedited investigative measures involving the former employees accused of wrongdoing—senior systems engineer Chang Liu and chief hardware officer Tang Yew Tan—as well as the io device startup founded by the OpenAI Foundation and Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief designer. The investigation found that 11 additional former Apple employees may be connected to the case or may have participated as witnesses.

New Evidence and Revealed Details

This legal dispute indicates that Apple has obtained new evidence in its effort to protect its intellectual property. According to the submitted materials, another former employee met with Chang Liu and Yu-Ting Peng before a conversation at OpenAI and discussed confidential information about unreleased products. It was also discovered that another employee saved screenshots of confidential documents before joining OpenAI.

In addition, Apple claims that after the lawsuit was filed, several former employees now working at OpenAI contacted the company about returning work devices they had taken with them when they left. These circumstances have led law enforcement agencies to suspect that more people may be behind the alleged theft of intellectual property.

OpenAI’s Official Response

OpenAI, for its part, strongly rejected Apple’s allegations and its request for a preliminary injunction. In a statement, OpenAI said the injunction request was based on false information and was entirely unfounded, as the company has neither sought nor used any of Apple’s trade secrets.

The creators of the artificial intelligence model emphasized that they are focused on developing advanced technologies and new products, while also pointing to mistakes Apple had previously made. In particular, OpenAI said Apple had refused to acknowledge that it allowed former employees to retain access to its systems because its security rules were inadequate and that it had made various errors during the communication process.