A business-secrets lawsuit that has gripped the tech world finally has a firm trial date. Judge Edward Davila of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has scheduled Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI for trial on July 19, 2027, at 9 a.m.
With the October 28 case management order issued, the next several months for both sides will be packed with document exchanges, discovery, and motions: document submissions are due by February 5 next year, fact discovery closes on March 12, expert discovery wraps up on April 28; the judge will hear testifying experts on June 10, and the final pretrial conference will be held on June 24. Lead counsel must also meet on June 1 to discuss a possible settlement—but this is a routine step in federal civil cases, not a sign that the two sides are truly ready to make peace. This pretrial marathon also reflects how the battle between AI giants and hardware companies over talent and secrets is increasingly moving into the courts.
The Hardware Mystery Sparked by Departing Employees
The fight began last July. Apple sued OpenAI, two affiliated entities, io Products, and two former employees, Tang Tan and Chang Liu, alleging that after leaving the company, the two took trade secrets related to product design and technology to OpenAI to help its consumer hardware development. OpenAI denies everything, countering that employees may have accessed or retained Apple files without knowing.
The two sides then repeatedly clashed over injunctions and discovery: Apple sought to restrict the other side from using the relevant secrets, while OpenAI promised not to use them at all during the litigation. Recently, the court also granted Apple further access to devices, communications, and hiring interview records of former Apple employees hired by OpenAI. Consumer hardware is precisely the new focus of their covert battle. The case is still at the evidence-gathering stage, and the judge has not yet ruled on whether the secrets were actually misappropriated.