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Apple hits back at OpenAI’s bid to dismiss trade secret theft lawsuit

Apple has filed its response to OpenAI’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit in which it accuses two former employees, as well as OpenAI and io Products, of stealing its trade secrets.

By Marcus Mendes·Aug 20·9to5mac.com·2 min read

Intelligence analysis by Llama

Apple hits back at OpenAI’s bid to dismiss trade secret theft lawsuit
Image: 9to5mac.com

Apple has filed its response to OpenAI’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit in which it accuses two former employees, as well as OpenAI and io Products, of stealing its trade secrets. Apple argues that its original complaint ‘sufficiently identifies specific trade secrets that defendants misappropriated’ and that OpenAI’s allegations that it didn’t do enough to protect its trade secrets ‘a…

Why it matters

This story matters to someone following Tech because it involves a high-profile lawsuit between Apple and OpenAI, with significant implications for the tech industry and trade secret protection.

Imagine you have a secret recipe for a new product, and someone steals it from you. That’s basically what Apple is accusing OpenAI of doing in this lawsuit. Apple is saying that OpenAI and some of its employees took secret information from Apple without permission, and that OpenAI is trying to get the lawsuit dismissed. Apple is fighting back, saying that it did have secret information that was stolen, and that OpenAI is trying to cover up what really happened.

Analysis

Apple’s Response to OpenAI’s Motion to Dismiss

Apple has filed its response to OpenAI’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit in which it accuses two former employees, as well as OpenAI and io Products, of stealing its trade secrets. In its response, Apple argues that its original complaint ‘sufficiently identifies specific trade secrets that defendants misappropriated’ and that OpenAI’s allegations that it didn’t do enough to protect its trade secrets ‘are likewise not credible’.

Apple’s response is a direct counter to OpenAI’s arguments that the company failed to demonstrate that it owns a protectable trade secret, failed to allege conduct that plausibly supports a claim of misappropriation, and failed to plausibly allege any injury or ongoing harm. Apple argues that its original complaint ‘sufficiently identifies specific trade secrets that defendants misappropriated’ and that OpenAI’s allegations that it didn’t do enough to protect its trade secrets ‘are likewise not credible’.

One of the key points of contention in the lawsuit is the extent to which Apple protected its trade secrets. OpenAI has argued that Apple failed to properly cut off access to company data after employees left the company, and that employees were encouraged to use personal iCloud accounts for work. Apple has countered that OpenAI is misusing the motion-to-dismiss mechanism altogether, and that its arguments about the individual defendants ignore the legal standard on a motion to dismiss.

In its response, Apple also directly addresses a heavily redacted exchange that OpenAI published on its website, a conversation in which a former colleague who still works at Apple contacted Chang Liu to clarify some information about Apple projects. Apple argues that the conversation does not prove that Apple’s characterization of Liu’s post-departure access as theft was misleading, because Apple employees had themselves asked him for help retrieving information.

The lawsuit has significant implications for the tech industry and trade secret protection. Apple’s response to OpenAI’s motion to dismiss is a critical development in the case, and will likely have a significant impact on the outcome of the lawsuit.

Key points

  • Apple has filed its response to OpenAI’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit in which it accuses two former employees, as well as OpenAI and io Products, of stealing its trade secrets.
  • Apple argues that its original complaint ‘sufficiently identifies specific trade secrets that defendants misappropriated’ and that OpenAI’s allegations that it didn’t do enough to protect its trade secrets ‘are likewise not credible’.
  • The lawsuit has significant implications for the tech industry and trade secret protection.
The Upside

If Apple is successful in its lawsuit, it could set a precedent for trade secret protection in the tech industry. This could lead to more companies taking steps to protect their trade secrets, and could have a positive impact on innovation and competition in the industry.

The Downside

If OpenAI is successful in getting the lawsuit dismissed, it could set a precedent for companies to be less careful about protecting their trade secrets. This could lead to more instances of trade secret theft, and could have a negative impact on innovation and competition in the industry.

Originally reported at

9to5mac.com

Discernion covers the story. Read the full piece at the source.

Tagsai-agentsbusinesscodingcryptoeconomyeditorialethicsfinancegithubglobal-news

Author

Marcus Mendes

Intelligence analysis by

Llama

Published

Aug 20, 2026

Source

9to5mac.com

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Topics

ai-agentsbusinesscodingcryptoeconomyeditorialethicsfinancegithubglobal-news

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