Apple has asked the court overseeing its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, io Products and several former employees to grant its own experts access to forensic disk images already gathered in the case, and to compel OpenAI to hand over documents tied to its hardware R&D efforts. The move follows Apple's claim that a forensic check of a MacBook used by former employee Chang Liu after he joined OpenAI revealed he ran a simulation using a confidential Apple circuit schematic, and that a related Mac mini may hold further evidence.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-22
Huawei is scheduled to face a US criminal trial on charges that it violated Iran sanctions and stole trade secrets from competitors. The proceedings are set to begin just weeks before a planned meeting between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-09
Jury selection begins in a long-running federal case against Huawei Technologies, which faces charges including wire and bank fraud, trade secret theft, and violating U.S. sanctions on North Korea. Prosecutors also allege Huawei equipment helped Iran surveil protesters during 2009 demonstrations. Huawei has called the government's case 'demonstrably false' and previously sought to have it dismissed as vague and overreaching.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-08
Belgian federal prosecutors arrested a 52-year-old Beijing-born Belgian resident, identified as H.L., on May 10 at a Brussels airport as he attempted to board a China-bound flight. He is accused of transferring gallium nitride semiconductor trade secrets from BelGaN, where he worked, to GanKool, a Chinese firm developing identical chip technology and founded shortly after he joined BelGaN. He now faces charges including industrial espionage and unlawful disclosure of business secrets.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-08
Belgian prosecutors detained a Chinese man in May as he prepared to fly to Beijing, alleging he had been passing sensitive chip-related technology to a company in China. The case is part of a broader investigation into suspected industrial espionage targeting Europe's semiconductor sector.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-07
Apple has filed a lawsuit against former employee Chang Liu, accusing him of copying confidential circuit schematics and other proprietary files from his company-issued MacBook before leaving to join OpenAI. Apple claims forensic evidence shows Liu used an AI agent to run simulations on the sensitive designs and then attempted to delete traces of his activity.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-01
OpenAI has responded to a lawsuit from Apple alleging theft of trade secrets, arguing that most of the claims actually stem from Apple's own weak employee offboarding practices rather than any wrongdoing by OpenAI. The ChatGPT maker is pushing back against the legal action, framing it as a dispute rooted in Apple's internal security failures.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-01
OpenAI filed a legal response to Apple's lawsuit accusing former employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan of stealing trade secrets to build an AI hardware device. OpenAI argues that Apple's sloppy internal procedures—like allowing personal iCloud use and giving little time to offboard—are responsible for any data access issues, not wrongdoing by the engineers. This comes a day after Apple presented forensic evidence from Liu's MacBook that it called 'shocking.'
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-01
Apple has filed fresh court evidence, including a forensic review of former engineer Chang Liu's old work laptop, alleging he used a confidential Apple circuit schematic and an internally named engineering tool while working at OpenAI. Apple also claims Liu enlisted OpenAI colleague Yu-Ting Peng to destroy evidence once he learned of the investigation, and that he exploited an authentication flaw to retain system access after leaving.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-01
Apple has filed new court documents alleging forensic analysis of a laptop used by former engineer Chang Liu after he joined OpenAI shows he downloaded dozens of confidential Apple files, including a circuit schematic, and used proprietary internal tools. Apple also claims Liu asked a coworker to wipe Apple-issued devices once he learned he was under internal investigation, which Apple frames as an attempt to destroy evidence.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-31
In its trade-secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, Apple filed new court documents claiming an initial forensic review of former engineer Chang Liu's MacBook found he used a confidential Apple circuit schematic in his OpenAI work and ran simulations with it. Apple also alleges Liu knew about his unauthorized cloud access, that OpenAI colleagues were aware of it, and that Liu instructed a colleague to destroy evidence once he learned of Apple's internal probe, with the colleague agreeing to comply.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-08-31
Apple has filed a reply defending its request for expedited discovery in its lawsuit against former employees, OpenAI, and io Products over alleged trade secret misappropriation. The move follows OpenAI's opposition, which argued the request was overbroad and unnecessary since regular discovery would largely overlap with Apple's proposed accelerated timeline. Apple is seeking early document production, forensic device imaging, and depositions within 30 to 50 days, alongside a separate preliminary injunction request to halt use of its alleged proprietary information.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-08-26