RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Forbes — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 4 sources
Topline OpenAI rejected Apple’s lawsuit alleging trade secrets theft in a lengthy blog post early on Tuesday that includes several iMessage chats and email conversations as it challenged the iPhone-maker’s bid to gain a preliminary injunction barring two former Apple employees and OpenAI from accessing or disclosing alleged confidential information.
In its blog post , OpenAI described Apple as “one of the greatest companies” but claimed its “careless, aggressive and oddly personal lawsuit” fails to live up to its reputation.
Rejecting claims that Apple first contacted it in February, OpenAI noted the iPhone-maker’s outside lawyers “emailed the wrong person after confusing two Asian last names,” and only admitted to this error after “we brought this to their attention.”
On the allegations of former Apple staffer Chang Liu accessing confidential information after exiting the company, OpenAI wrote that the iPhone-maker now admits employees actually reached out to Chang and asked for his “help to locate this information.”
The post then calls out Apple for failing to properly manage the issue of former employees having residual access to its systems after leaving the company and accuses Apple of trying to shift blame.
On the trade secrets theft allegations against its chief hardware officer Tang Tan, who formerly worked as vice president at Apple, OpenAI claimed he was always clear with his team that “we do not want, and must not use, any confidential information from other companies.”
OpenAI’s post points to several iMessage chats and email exchanges that it argues back its claims.
Apple filed a request for a preliminary injunction on Monday before a California Federal Court to prevent its former employees and OpenAI from “accessing, acquiring, using or disclosing Apple's trade secrets.” Apple also wants the injunction to block the plaintiffs from soliciting or encouraging others to access its secrets and “stop destroying, deleting or concealing evidence.” The filing notes that after Apple filed its suit, it sent another letter to OpenAI outlining five conditions under which it would skip filing such an injunction. It alleges that the ChatGPT-maker agreed to three conditions: no future access or soliciting of such information, halt any existing access, use or soliciting efforts and preserve relevant evidence. However, OpenAI rejected Apple’s request to allow its counsel and third-party forensic analysts to “inspect, image, and analyze all devices, storage drives, and accounts in OpenAI’s possession” for any of Apple’s secrets and “search any OpenAI network location where any Apple proprietary and trade secret information may have been transferred or stored.” The iPhone maker’s filing noted that it would be “irreparably harmed absent a preliminary injunction,” and adds: “OpenAI, its people, and partners should not be permitted to develop, release, and benefit from products using and developed with the benefit of Apple’s trade secrets.”
“Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction is both based on false information and completely unnecessary because we do not have, nor want, any of their trade secrets. We’re much more interested in building innovative products and technologies that push the frontier,” OpenAI notes in its blog post.
Apple Claims OpenAI Stole Trade Secrets In New Lawsuit (Forbes)
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.