Apple and OpenAI escalate legal battle over trade secret theft

OpenAI has formally requested a federal court to dismiss Apple's lawsuit, which accuses the artificial intelligence company of stealing trade secrets. The developer of ChatGPT has labeled Apple's allegations as "unfounded" and is seeking a permanent end to the legal proceedings.

The dispute centers on OpenAI's alleged secret project to develop a new hardware device. Apple filed its lawsuit last month in San Jose, California, asserting that OpenAI deliberately orchestrated a campaign to acquire trade secrets from former Apple employees. In a court filing on Monday, Apple described OpenAI's actions as "repeated instances of deliberate theft," arguing that the AI firm should not be allowed to leverage Apple's secrets for an unfair advantage in its hardware ambitions.

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Apple no debería tener permitido utilizar una demanda infundada y meramente de pretexto para compensar sus deficiencias en el mercado de talento y en la retención de sus empleados, ni sus fracasos a la hora de integrar la IA en sus productos.

OpenAI, in its response filed Wednesday, countered that Apple's lawsuit is "rotten to the core" and misrepresents the situation. The AI company's lawyers stated that Apple "built its reputation by paying close attention to even the smallest details. This lawsuit does the opposite." OpenAI also suggested that Apple is using the lawsuit as a pretext to compensate for its own shortcomings in talent acquisition and AI integration within its products.

Adding urgency to its claims, Apple presented a TechCrunch article detailing leaked information about OpenAI's anticipated hardware product: a screenless smart speaker reportedly developed in collaboration with Jony Ive's design studio, LoveFrom. Reports suggest the device could be circular, hockey-puck sized, and priced between $300 and $400, with a potential 2027 launch. OpenAI has not confirmed these details. The judge is scheduled to consider both parties' requests at a hearing on October 1. Despite the legal conflict, the two companies maintain a partnership, with ChatGPT integrated into Apple's products since 2024.

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El daño está ocurriendo ahora. Cada día que pasa sin una orden judicial permite que OpenAI incorpore su conocimiento de la información robada de Apple en sus esfuerzos de desarrollo de hardware.