Apple has asked a court for expedited discovery in its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the company is actively destroying evidence, according to reporting by The Verge and Bloomberg.
Apple is escalating its legal battle against OpenAI, pushing for “expedited discovery” over concerns that the company is actively destroying evidence, according to The Verge, which cited earlier reporting by Bloomberg.
In a filing made on Monday, Apple alleges that OpenAI only recently handed over a MacBook used by a former employee who is at the center of the lawsuit. According to Apple’s filing, the device contained discussions about “destroying” material relevant to the case.
The push for expedited discovery is a legal move that would allow Apple to gather evidence on an accelerated timeline, a step companies typically request when they fear relevant material may be lost or destroyed before it can be examined.
The dispute centers on allegations relating to trade secrets, with a former employee said to be a key figure in the case. The details reported so far focus on Apple’s concerns about the preservation and handling of evidence by OpenAI.
As of the reporting, the filing represents Apple’s characterization of events. The available sources do not include a response from OpenAI addressing the specific allegations about the MacBook or the claims that evidence is being destroyed.
Why it matters
A legal fight between two of the most influential companies in technology could shape how trade secrets and employee movements are handled across the AI industry. Allegations of evidence destruction, if pursued, raise the stakes considerably and could influence the direction and outcome of the case.