The legal battle between Apple and OpenAI is intensifying. Apple has urged a federal court to reject OpenAI’s attempt to dismiss its trade secrets lawsuit.
Apple argues that OpenAI’s dismissal request relies on “distortion, speculation, and improper extrinsic evidence.” The iPhone maker maintains that its lawsuit provides evidence supporting allegations of trade secret misappropriation.
OpenAI has denied wrongdoing. Earlier in August, it asked a federal judge to dismiss the case, arguing that Apple failed to adequately identify protectable trade secrets or show improper conduct.
Apple Challenges OpenAI’s Defense
The dispute centers partly on former Apple employees who later joined OpenAI.
According to Apple’s latest filing, former employee Chang Liu did not access company information simply because of accidental device syncing. Instead, Apple alleges that Liu knowingly exploited a technical bug to obtain data from corporate servers.
Apple also challenges OpenAI’s explanation of its recruitment practices. The company alleges that candidates received coaching related to obtaining confidential information. In addition, Apple claims requests involving former executive Tang Tan concerned secret prototypes rather than products already available to consumers.
However, these remain allegations, and the court has not determined that OpenAI stole Apple’s trade secrets.
Hardware Competition Raises the Stakes
The case carries wider significance because both companies have major interests in artificial intelligence and consumer technology. Apple filed its original lawsuit in July, accusing OpenAI and former employees of improperly obtaining confidential hardware information.
OpenAI, meanwhile, argues that it has no need for Apple’s trade secrets. Its dismissal motion also questions whether Apple has sufficiently established that the information at issue qualifies for legal trade secret protection.
Court Battle Moves Toward October
Apple now wants the court to deny OpenAI’s dismissal motion and allow the litigation to continue. Its filing states that OpenAI repeatedly misappropriated trade secrets through the alleged actions of Liu and Tan and through separate conduct of its own.
The next stage could reveal more about the dispute. A hearing connected to Apple’s request for expedited discovery is scheduled for October 1, according to the attached report.
For now, the case remains unresolved. Yet it highlights how competition for AI talent, hardware expertise, and confidential technology can quickly move from Silicon Valley offices into federal courtrooms.
