OpenAI has filed a motion to dismiss Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit, arguing that Apple’s own security practices and offboarding procedures weaken its claim that the information qualifies as legally protected trade secrets. The motion, along with newly filed exhibits, outlines OpenAI’s legal defense strategy, which shifts focus from whether former Apple employees accessed confidential information to Apple’s internal security failures. OpenAI contends that Apple allowed employees to use personal iCloud accounts for work and failed to revoke access after they left the company. This, it argues, created vulnerabilities that Apple now blames for alleged theft of trade secrets. Source: techcrunch
OpenAI submitted text message records showing that an Apple manager remained logged into the personal iCloud account of defendant and former Apple engineer Chang Liu after he left the company to transfer files. The motion also highlights that Apple failed to properly secure its systems when employees departed, leading to confusion and unwanted access issues. OpenAI argues that Apple has not specified which trade secrets were allegedly stolen, instead referring to them as generic categories of the product-development process, such as component manufacturing, product testing, vendor and supplier relationships, and distribution channels. The filing suggests that Apple’s lawsuit may be an attempt to delay OpenAI’s innovation in AI-powered hardware. Source: techcrunch
Apple’s complaint, filed in July, accuses OpenAI of orchestrating a scheme to obtain confidential hardware information from former Apple engineers. This week, Apple asked the court to expedite discovery, claiming its internal investigation indicates some additional former employees may have participated in or witnessed the alleged theft of trade secrets. OpenAI’s filing posits that Apple is using the lawsuit to slow down its competitor from innovating in AI-powered hardware rather than focusing on its own product plans. Source: techcrunch
