Apple submitted new supporting documents on the 31st, adding several key pieces of evidence in its trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the latter of using confidential information to support its new hardware business and attempting to destroy evidence.
The core focus of the lawsuit revolves around Chang Liu, a former senior system electrical engineer at Apple, Apple's investigation found that Liu downloaded dozens of confidential files (including circuit schematics) from a secure cloud storage after leaving the company, and used a MacBook provided by OpenAI to run circuit simulation software, even using proprietary data to train an AI agent.
Additionally, Apple accuses Liu of instructing OpenAI colleagues to reset devices after learning about the internal investigation to erase forensic traces.
This is the latest development in Apple's trade secret lawsuit initiated earlier this year. Apple had applied for expedited discovery in early August and expanded the review to 11 former employees. OpenAI previously responded that Apple's accusations were aggressive and unfounded, emphasizing that the company focuses on innovation and research. As generative AI becomes more integrated with cutting-edge hardware, intellectual property disputes caused by high-level talent mobility are becoming increasingly frequent.
The subsequent ruling in this case may have a profound impact on talent mobility models and data compliance review mechanisms between tech giants and emerging AI companies.
