OpenAI Agrees Not to Use Alleged Apple Trade Secrets Amid Ongoing Lawsuit

OpenAI Voluntarily Commits in Court

During a hearing on October 14, 2026, OpenAI voluntarily agreed not to use trade secrets that Apple claims were stolen, as reported by Bloomberg. The commitment comes amid an ongoing trade secret misappropriation lawsuit filed by Apple against OpenAI, two former employees identified as Chang Liu and Tang Tan, and io Products. Apple has alleged that a former employee who left OpenAI to return to Apple took more than 100 confidential files related to the company's unreleased hardware.

Judge Signals Likely Preliminary Injunction

At the hearing, Judge Edward Davila indicated he was "highly likely" to grant Apple's request for a preliminary injunction against OpenAI. Apple originally sought the injunction to prevent the defendants from accessing, using, or disclosing its confidential information while the case proceeds. Apple also requested expedited discovery, seeking early access to internal documents, forensic evidence, and employee testimony to support its injunction case. According to the report, many of those discovery requests were granted the day before the hearing.

Forensic Collection and Limited Inspections

As part of the agreement established at the hearing, OpenAI also committed to collecting forensic images of devices from 14 employees "that may contain Apple's confidential information," Bloomberg reported. Judge Davila will have the authority to enforce the agreement, meaning OpenAI could face court-imposed sanctions if it fails to comply with its commitments. However, the judge also pushed back against some of Apple's demands, describing its request to inspect every device and repository that might contain its trade secrets as a "huge ask." In response, Apple's attorney John M. Desmarais said the company would limit its inspections to a small group of former employees, adding that OpenAI does not have "400 bad apples," but rather "a few bad apples and know who they are."

Sources: 9to5Mac · Techmeme