'Careless': OpenAI hits back after Apple's lawsuit on trade secrets theft

Hours after Apple sought a preliminary injunction from a US court in its trade secrets case against OpenAI, the ChatGPT maker responded by saying the iPhone maker had got its facts wrong. In a blog post on Monday, OpenAI also published email exchanges involving Apple’s lawyers and messages between former Apple engineer Chang Liu and his former colleagues.

 

OpenAI called Apple's request for a preliminary injunction "based on false information" and "completely unnecessary."

 

"Apple is one of the greatest companies of all time, and built a reputation for obsessing over the smallest details. This careless, aggressive and oddly personal lawsuit sadly doesn't live up to that reputation," the ChatGPT maker said.

 

OpenAI also disputed Apple's account of its interactions before the lawsuit. It said Apple had claimed it contacted the company in February but later acknowledged that its outside lawyers had emailed the wrong person after confusing two Asian last names.

 

It also said, “Apple also claimed they had a discussion with our General Counsel, which they now concede never happened. But they again hide the fact that they never raised the specific allegations in this lawsuit at that time, and that they in fact told us that they were “resolving any issues”.

 

According to OpenAI, Apple then remained silent for five months before filing the lawsuit.

 

OpenAI also pushed back against Apple's allegations against former Apple engineer Chang Liu, publishing text exchanges that it said contradicted the iPhone maker's claims. Apple has alleged that Liu failed to return a company-issued laptop and exploited an authentication bug to access its internal network and download confidential hardware-related files after leaving the company.

 

According to OpenAI, the messages showed Apple employees continued to contact Liu after his departure, asking him to locate files, transfer documents and answer technical questions. It argued the exchanges suggested Apple employees themselves sought Liu's assistance and that any continued access resulted from Apple's own systems not fully revoking his access after he left the company.

 

What is the dispute?

 

On July 10, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, its hardware arm io Products, and two former Apple employees—former senior system electrical engineer Chang Liu and former iPhone and Apple Watch product design chief Tang Yew Tan, who now work with OpenAI.

 

Apple has alleged that OpenAI orchestrated a broader effort to acquire and exploit its trade secrets through former employees, recruitment practices, and supplier relationships to accelerate its push into consumer hardware.

 

The company has accused Liu of retaining confidential company information after leaving Apple, while alleging that Tan helped recruit Apple employees to OpenAI-linked ventures. OpenAI has denied the allegations, saying Apple's claims are based on false information.