Apple asks judge to immediately restrict OpenAI; ChatGPT maker hits back hard

Apple wants a U.S. judge to immediately slap OpenAI with restrictions in an escalating trade-secrets lawsuit. OpenAI rejects the claims, saying it neither holds nor uses Apple’s confidential information. What began as a legal filing is quickly turning into a public showdown over the future of AI hardware.

Court filings show Apple has requested a preliminary injunction to stop OpenAI and two former Apple employees from accessing or using what Apple says are its trade secrets while the case is pending. OpenAI fired back almost instantly with a lengthy rebuttal, calling the allegations “incorrect,” “aggressive,” and “oddly personal.”

Apple sued OpenAI and two ex-employees in July: Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan. Liu was a senior systems engineer at Apple, while Tan spent years as a vice president of Product Design, contributing to products like the iPhone and Apple Watch. Both now work at OpenAI.

Apple claims the former staffers took or used confidential know-how and documents to speed up OpenAI’s hardware project. Those are allegations for now. The court has not determined whether any trade secrets were actually stolen or misused.

With the new motion, Apple doesn’t want to wait for a final ruling. A preliminary injunction is meant to impose immediate safeguards if a judge sees a risk of irreparable harm during the case.

Apple is also seeking permission to fast-track discovery. It wants more documents and sworn testimony from key figures, including Liu, Tan, OpenAI representatives, and staff at io Products, OpenAI’s hardware division.

OpenAI isn’t confining its response to the courtroom. In a public statement titled Apple is getting this wrong, the company attempts to rebut the claims point by point.

OpenAI says Apple’s filing contains several factual errors. Apple allegedly claimed it contacted OpenAI in February and never heard back. OpenAI counters that Apple’s outside counsel emailed the wrong person after mixing up two Asian surnames. According to OpenAI, Apple later acknowledged that the supposed discussion with OpenAI’s legal leadership never happened.

OpenAI also disputes the claim that Chang Liu improperly accessed Apple systems after leaving the company. It says Apple employees actually asked Liu to help locate data he was still authorized to access due to an Apple access-control error.

These documents reflect only OpenAI’s side of the story. Apple maintains that without immediate limits, sensitive corporate information remains at risk—creating the potential for irreparable harm.

This isn’t just about alleged trade secrets. It’s a high-stakes strategic fight over the next wave of consumer electronics.

OpenAI is working with former Apple designers on new AI hardware meant to give users direct access to ChatGPT and other AI services—reducing reliance on smartphones, app stores, and existing operating systems.

That increasingly makes Apple and OpenAI direct competitors. While the two once collaborated on AI features within Apple Intelligence, their interests now collide in the hardware arena.

A preliminary order wouldn’t necessarily halt OpenAI’s device. But a judge could restrict the use of specific documents, systems, or development processes while the case proceeds. That could slow momentum in a race where Apple, OpenAI, Google, and Meta are all chasing the device that might succeed the smartphone.

A U.S. judge will soon decide whether Apple meets the bar for a preliminary injunction. Until then, two starkly different narratives stand opposed.

Apple says it’s protecting hard-won technological know-how from misuse by former employees. OpenAI argues a powerful incumbent is wielding an unfounded lawsuit to hobble a rising rival in AI hardware.

Which account holds up will only become clear once the court digs into the merits of the case.