Apple is seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent OpenAI and two former employees from accessing or using information it alleges was taken from its internal systems.
In motions filed on August 3 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple requested a preliminary injunction against OpenAI, former senior system electrical engineer Chang Liu and former vice president of product design for iPhone and Apple Watch Tang Yew Tan.
The company argued that it could suffer irreparable harm unless the defendants are temporarily prevented from accessing, obtaining, using or disclosing information Apple claims was taken from its internal systems.
Apple also filed a motion seeking expedited discovery, including documents and testimony related to the defendants’ alleged possession or use of proprietary information.
Apple pushes for early depositions
Apple asked the court for permission to depose Liu and Tan, who now work for OpenAI, along with OpenAI employee Yu-Ting Peng and another unnamed employee who previously worked at the iPhone maker.
The company is also seeking testimony from corporate representatives of OpenAI and io Products, an OpenAI-owned hardware company named as a defendant in the case.
Apple filed the underlying lawsuit on July 10, accusing OpenAI of using former employees, recruitment efforts and supplier relationships to gain access to confidential information as it expands into consumer hardware.
The complaint alleges that Liu accessed and downloaded dozens of confidential hardware-related files after leaving Apple and while working for OpenAI. It separately claims that Tan retained information involving suppliers and internal industry research.
OpenAI says “Apple is getting this wrong”
OpenAI has denied possessing or seeking Apple’s trade secrets and said the proposed injunction was unnecessary and based on inaccurate claims.
In an August 3 blog post titled “Apple is getting this wrong,” the company disputed Apple’s account of Liu’s conduct, adding that Apple employees contacted Liu after his departure and asked for assistance locating company files.
OpenAI also published emails that it said showed Apple’s outside counsel mistakenly contacted the wrong person and inaccurately claimed to have spoken with OpenAI’s general counsel. The lawyer later apologized, explaining that the message had been intended for another former Apple employee.
Legal pressure builds around Apple-OpenAI ties
Before the current direct clash, legal pressure had already exposed tensions surrounding the companies’ partnership.
In August 2025, Elon Musk’s X and xAI sued Apple and OpenAI in Texas federal court, alleging they conspired to suppress AI competition through the ChatGPT integration and Apple’s App Store. Apple and OpenAI sought dismissal, arguing their arrangement was not exclusive.
A judge rejected those early bids on November 13 without ruling on the merits, and court records show the case remained active through July 2026.
Separately, Bloomberg reported on May 14, citing people familiar with the matter, that OpenAI had engaged an outside law firm to assess possible action concerning its Apple partnership.
Apple’s current case turns those tensions into direct litigation as OpenAI expands into consumer hardware that could compete more closely with the iPhone maker.
