Apple Seeks Injunction Against OpenAI in Trade Secrets Lawsuit

Apple has asked a federal court to issue a preliminary injunction against OpenAI, arguing that the company will suffer irreparable harm unless the court quickly blocks any further use of its confidential information.

The request forms part of Apple’s ongoing trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, which centers on allegations that former Apple employees took sensitive information and used it to support OpenAI’s hardware development work.

Apple said it contacted OpenAI after filing the original lawsuit and offered to avoid seeking an injunction if the company accepted five conditions. OpenAI agreed to stop accessing or using Apple’s confidential information, halt any ongoing disclosure, and preserve relevant evidence.

However, the companies failed to agree on Apple’s remaining demands, which included forensic inspections of devices, cloud storage, email accounts, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and other repositories. Apple also wanted OpenAI to search its systems for any confidential Apple material.

Apple wants faster discovery

Apple is now asking the court to stop OpenAI from obtaining or using its trade secrets, preserve all evidence, allow forensic inspections, and return any confidential information still held by the company.

In its filing, Apple said the alleged harm continues each day because OpenAI can further include the stolen information in its hardware development plans, making the damage harder to reverse.

Apple also filed a separate motion seeking expedited discovery, including early document production and depositions from key OpenAI employees and executives.

OpenAI recently published a detailed response describing Apple’s lawsuit as careless, aggressive, and unusually personal. The company also questioned whether the case reflects Apple’s wider reputation.

The court has scheduled a hearing on Apple’s preliminary injunction request for October 1, 2026.