Apple Adds New Evidence to Trade Secrets Lawsuit Against OpenAI
Apple has submitted new evidence in its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, saying a former employee's laptop shows he accessed and used confidential Apple files while working at OpenAI. The filing is part of Apple's push for expedited discovery.
Apple has bolstered its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI with new evidence it says supports claims that former employees took proprietary information to help build OpenAI's hardware business. In a filing made as part of a push for expedited discovery, Apple disclosed findings from a laptop used by a former employee after he left the company.
The filing focuses on Chang Liu, a former Apple senior system electrical engineer. According to Apple's initial forensic review of the laptop, Liu knew he still had access to Apple's third-party cloud storage and used it to download dozens of confidential Apple files, including a circuit schematic. Apple alleges Liu used that schematic to run simulations as part of his work for OpenAI.
Apple says the forensic review uncovered previously unknown instances of alleged theft, claiming Liu referenced using a tool and related software packages bearing names identical to proprietary internal engineering tools used at Apple.
Apple also alleges that after Liu learned he was under internal investigation, he asked a coworker at OpenAI to restore any Apple-issued devices — a move Apple characterizes as an attempt to erase forensic evidence that could be used against him.
The filing marks the latest development in a trade secrets lawsuit Apple brought against OpenAI earlier this year. In August, Apple requested expedited discovery and expanded the scope of its claims to include 11 former employees it alleges shared trade secrets with OpenAI. OpenAI has called Apple's accusations "careless, aggressive and oddly personal" and has denied any wrongdoing.
