Apple opposes OpenAI's bid to dismiss trade secret lawsuit
What's the story
Apple has responded to OpenAI's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed recently by the iPhone maker. The tech giant accuses two former employees, along with OpenAI and io Products, of stealing its trade secrets. The lawsuit was filed after the alleged theft of confidential information by Chang Liu and former Apple VP Tang Tan.
Legal arguments
Apple's original complaint identifies specific trade secrets: Response
OpenAI has defended itself against Apple's lawsuit by claiming that the tech giant didn't conduct a thorough investigation before filing it.
The company also argued that Apple has not proven ownership of any protectable trade secret or shown plausible evidence of misappropriation.
However, Apple has refuted these claims, maintaining that its original complaint clearly identifies specific trade secrets allegedly misappropriated by the defendants.
Defense strategy
Apple dismissed allegations of not safeguarding trade secrets
Apple has also countered OpenAI's claims that it didn't do enough to safeguard its trade secrets.
The tech giant dismissed these allegations as "not credible," saying that OpenAI "trivialize[s] Apple's trade secrets as mere 'supplier relationships' and then question[s] whether all 'supplier relationships' are confidential."
Apple further argued that the defendants' arguments about individual defendants ignore the legal standard on a motion to dismiss.
Information management
Heavily redacted exchange between an Apple employee and Liu
Apple also addressed a heavily redacted exchange published by OpenAI on its website.
The conversation showed a current Apple employee reaching out to Liu for clarification on some information about Apple projects.
However, Apple clarified that the complaint doesn't allege Liu answered his former manager's questions or that Apple employees accessed his personal iCloud account; it alleges he exploited an authentication bug to "access Apple's network storage."
Misconduct allegations
Apple defends its claims against Tan
Apple has also defended its trade secrets theft allegations against Tan, who was accused of asking job candidates to bring publicly available parts for "show and tell" sessions.
The tech giant clarified that he directed a then-Apple employee to bring internal components from her confidential Apple work, not publicly available ones.
It also highlighted an incident where a candidate was screenshotting and downloading files about a highly confidential Apple project just hours before an interview with Tan.