Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the company of systematically stealing commercial secrets. According to the iPhone maker, former Apple employees transferred confidential information about yet-unannounced technologies and devices to the competitor. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Lawsuit Details
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The defendants are OpenAI, io Products, and two former Apple employees — Chang Liu and Tang Tang. The latter previously served as Apple's vice president of product design and was responsible for developing the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Allegations
According to Apple, during interviews at OpenAI, former employees asked candidates to bring actual device parts, prototypes, and internal company documents. They also allegedly asked questions about Apple's confidential projects, using internal code names for products.
The lawsuit also claims that one former engineer exploited a vulnerability in Apple's security system after leaving the company and downloaded over a thousand pages of technical documentation. According to Apple, he did not report the bug but instead saved the files and later used them while working at OpenAI.
Apple's Actions
Apple says it contacted OpenAI in February requesting an internal investigation but received no response. The company believes the identified cases are just the "tip of the iceberg."
Jony Ive's Project
Special attention in the lawsuit is given to the io project, founded by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive. Last year, OpenAI acquired the startup for $6.5 billion to accelerate the development of its own AI device. Ive himself is not listed among the defendants.
Former Apple Employees at OpenAI
According to Apple, more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI. The iPhone maker is seeking a court order to ban the use of its commercial secrets and to recover damages.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that Apple finally introduced Siri, which it had promised two years ago. The new voice assistant learned to see the screen and perform tasks for the user, such as ordering food, sending an email, or finding a place by photo.