Apple has sued OpenAI and two former employees, alleging the artificial intelligence (AI) company misappropriated its trade secrets to accelerate its expansion into the consumer hardware market.
According to Reuters, a lawsuit filed on Friday at the
United States (US) district court for the northern district of California
showed Apple accused OpenAI of orchestrating a coordinated effort to obtain and
exploit its confidential information through former employees, recruitment
practices, and supplier relationships.
The iPhone maker alleged that the information was used to
support OpenAI’s plans to develop AI-powered consumer devices that could
compete with Apple’s products.
Responding to the lawsuit, OpenAI denied the allegations.
“We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We
remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people
everywhere,” OpenAI said.
APPLE ALLEGES FORMER EMPLOYEES TOOK CONFIDENTIAL FILES
In the suit, Apple named Chang Liu, a former senior system
electrical engineer, and Tang Yew Tan, its former vice-president of product
design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, as defendants alongside OpenAI entities.
The company alleged that Liu failed to return a
company-issued laptop after leaving Apple and later exploited an authentication
flaw to access its internal network, downloading confidential hardware-related
files.
Apple also claimed that Tan, who now leads OpenAI’s hardware
efforts, emailed himself confidential information relating to Apple suppliers
and internal industry reports before departing the company.
The lawsuit further alleged that Tan encouraged Apple
employees interviewing with OpenAI to bring company components to job
interviews for “show and tell” sessions.
Apple said it raised concerns with OpenAI in February after
discovering that its confidential information may have reached the company, but
received no response.
“That OpenAI now employs people who were once entrusted with
Apple’s trade secrets does not entitle OpenAI to use that information to
jumpstart its hardware efforts,” the complaint said.
Apple also alleged that OpenAI employees approached some of
its suppliers seeking confidential manufacturing information, including a
proprietary metal-finishing technique.
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