Apple has asked a United States federal judge to restrict OpenAI and two former Apple employees from accessing or using information the iPhone maker claims is confidential, intensifying a legal dispute tied to the emerging market for artificial intelligence hardware.
Apple requested a preliminary injunction on Monday that would prevent OpenAI and the former employees from accessing, acquiring, using or disclosing the disputed information while the lawsuit proceeds.
Apple Seeks Faster Access to Evidence
Apple is not only asking the court to limit the defendants’ conduct. It also wants to accelerate the evidence-gathering process.
Reuters reported that Apple filed a simultaneous motion for expedited discovery, including the production of documents concerning the defendants’ alleged access to proprietary and trade-secret information.
Apple wants former employees Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan to give depositions, together with OpenAI employee Yu-Ting Peng and another unnamed OpenAI worker who previously worked for Apple.
Liu previously worked as a senior system electrical engineer at Apple, while Tan served as vice president of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Apple is also seeking testimony from corporate representatives of OpenAI and io Products, OpenAI’s commercial arm and another defendant in the case.
Apple Warns of Irreparable Harm
Apple argues that waiting for the full lawsuit to conclude could allow damage to occur before the court determines whether its allegations are valid.
“Apple will be irreparably harmed absent a preliminary injunction,” the company said in a filing quoted by Reuters.
The Economic Times reported that Apple originally sued OpenAI and the two former employees in July, alleging that both employees now work for OpenAI and improperly supplied information benefiting the ChatGPT developer’s consumer-hardware ambitions.
The dispute potentially reaches beyond employee departures. It places Apple’s established control over consumer devices against OpenAI’s reported effort to create AI-focused hardware that may operate differently from conventional smartphones.
OpenAI Rejects Apple’s Allegations
OpenAI has denied possessing or seeking Apple’s confidential material and described the requested restrictions as unnecessary.
Apple’s injunction request relied on “false information” and was unnecessary because the company did not have or want Apple’s trade secrets.
The Economic Times reported that OpenAI issued the denial through a blog post late Monday, directly contesting Apple’s justification for emergency court intervention.
AI Hardware Competition Moves Into Court
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California after OpenAI successfully defended itself against a separate legal challenge from Elon Musk’s xAI.
Analysts believe OpenAI may be developing a phone or another consumer device that would not depend on traditional applications or operating systems.
Such a product could redirect user attention away from Apple’s iPhone ecosystem if AI agents become the primary interface for information, communication and digital services.
The court’s decision on Apple’s preliminary-injunction request will not settle the entire case. It could, however, determine what information OpenAI and the former Apple employees may access while the larger fight over AI devices and alleged trade-secret misuse continues.
