Apple lawsuit moves forward as Jon Prosser misses deadline
What's the story
The US District Court for the Northern District of California has accepted Apple's request to enter default against YouTuber Jon Prosser in a lawsuit filed in July. The case stems from a leak that revealed details of the Liquid Design redesign introduced in iOS 26. Apple had accused Prosser and another defendant, Michael Ramacciotti, of misappropriating trade secrets and violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act over this leak.
Legal accusations
Allegations of unauthorized access to a development iPhone
Apple claims that Ramacciotti broke into the Development iPhone of Ethan Lipnik, a former employee. The company alleges he used location tracking to determine when Lipnik would be away for a long time, acquired his passcode, and accessed his Development iPhone. During this unauthorized access, Ramacciotti allegedly made a video call to Prosser and showed him "iOS" on the Development iPhone.
Scheme details
Prosser allegedly promised to find a way for Ramacciotti
Apple alleges that Prosser proposed the scheme to Ramacciotti and promised to "find out a way for [Mr. Ramacciotti] to get payment" if he provided access to Lipnik's Development iPhone. The company claims Prosser recorded the video call with screen capture tools, took videos of trade secrets on the Development iPhone, stored them on his device, and distributed those recordings to others. He allegedly profited from Apple's trade secrets by sharing them in several videos on his business's YouTube channel.
Denial and counter
Prosser denied the allegations
In response to the allegations, Prosser denied Apple's characterization of events and said he was "looking forward to speaking with Apple on this." After the deadline to answer Apple's complaint passed, Ramacciotti requested an extension, which was granted by the court. However, Prosser never filed a response. On October 10, Apple asked for a default against him, allowing the lawsuit to proceed without his participation or defense.
Future proceedings
Prosser can still ask court to set aside the default
The court granted Apple's request last Friday. However, it remains unclear why Prosser or his legal counsel haven't responded to Apple's complaint. Legally, Prosser can still ask the court to set aside the default if he can show that his failure to respond was due to excusable neglect or another justified cause. If not, the court will likely move toward a default judgment in Apple's favor.