The legal battle between Apple and OpenAI is rapidly heating up after a new evidence claim from the smartphone giant. Apple recently accused two of its former engineers, Chang Liu and Tang Tan, of taking confidential files before leaving to help the startup build new hardware. Now, the startup is firing back at those claims, calling the entire situation a mess of its own making and pointing fingers at weak internal security policies.
The startup blames poor security policies for the leaked files
Apple was recently granted access to a MacBook belonging to Liu. When it ran a forensic analysis on the machine, the company found four pieces of what it called shocking evidence. The main goal of this lawsuit is to figure out if these engineers intentionally downloaded private files to help build new AI devices.
In a new legal filing, the maker of artificial intelligence products did not hold back. It noted that employees have the right to leave a company that struggled to adopt new technology for a more exciting startup. The company argued that Apple is simply using sloppy procedures to cover up its own mistakes.
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According to the court documents, three specific problems led to this situation. First, Apple actually encourages its workers to use personal iCloud accounts to handle work files. Second, departing workers do not get enough time to return devices or transfer their projects back to the team. Third, former team members often reach out to these individuals for help after they leave. That forces them to access company data just to lend a hand.
This defense could end up being a very smart legal strategy. The startup does not seem to deny that confidential information was used. Instead, it is arguing that the original owner failed to protect the data properly. A company can only claim information is a trade secret if it takes the right steps to keep it secure. If this argument holds up in court, the outcome of the case could shift entirely.
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