Apple seeks emergency evidence rules in OpenAI trade secrets lawsuit
Apple has asked a court for expedited discovery in its lawsuit against OpenAI, claiming the company delayed handing over a former employee's MacBook and that messages show discussion of restoring devices to erase forensic traces. Apple says an inspection of the laptop, turned over in August, revealed a former Apple engineer named Chang Liu had downloaded a confidential circuit schematic and used it while working at OpenAI.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The case centers on whether OpenAI improperly absorbed Apple's proprietary hardware knowledge through employees who switched companies, a dispute with real consequences for how courts treat trade secret theft in the fast-moving AI hiring wars. Allegations of evidence destruction raise the stakes significantly, since they could shift legal presumptions in Apple's favor and expose OpenAI to sanctions.
- Apple accuses OpenAI of delaying and potentially destroying forensic evidence tied to a former employee's laptop.
- An inspection allegedly found a confidential Apple circuit schematic used in the ex-employee's OpenAI work.
- Apple is requesting expedited discovery to preserve transient forensic data before it's lost or overwritten.
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Published there as: “Apple accuses OpenAI of destroying evidence”
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