OpenAI alleged in a new filing in U.S. federal court in San Jose, California, that a former employee who left for Apple $AAPL sent more than 100 confidential files about an unreleased device to personal accounts, according to Reuters.
Apple denied the allegations, saying it screens incoming employees to prevent them from bringing confidential material from prior jobs and that its own review turned up nothing to corroborate OpenAI's claims, according to Reuters.
The filing says the files were sent on June 2, the employee's final day at OpenAI, according to 9to5Mac. The employee joined OpenAI from Apple, worked there for six months and has returned to Apple, the filing says, according to 9to5Mac.
According to 9to5Mac, the transferred files covered a wide range of sensitive material, among them photographs of the device, technical data on its engineering and production, supplier records, project documentation, specifications for surface finishes, and analyses of how hardware components are coated and sealed. The filing further claims the employee briefed top Apple executives on OpenAI's roadmap, with Apple's vice president of operations in Asia among those in attendance, according to 9to5Mac.
OpenAI said the presentation appears to have taken place months ago and that Apple is making a push into AI-enabled products. It cited the release of Apple's HomeView product this week, according to Reuters.
In the filing, OpenAI expressed alarm that proprietary material may now be moving freely within Apple, potentially influencing the development of future products, according to 9to5Mac. OpenAI added that it has contacted Apple seeking guarantees that the information is neither held nor being put to use, but Apple has yet to offer them.
The filing is part of a trade secret dispute that Apple started. Apple sued OpenAI in July, accusing the company and two former Apple employees, Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, of conspiring to extract confidential information about product design, manufacturing, component technologies, testing methodologies and Apple's supply chain. OpenAI has denied the allegations, according to Reuters.
Apple and OpenAI are scheduled to appear Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose. The hearing will address Apple's request for a preliminary injunction that would force OpenAI to halt its use of any misappropriated secrets, and OpenAI's motion to dismiss the suit.
In seeking dismissal, OpenAI contends that Apple has failed to pinpoint any specific trade secrets, instead offering only sweeping, general descriptions of hardware information. "OpenAI has no need or desire for Apple's trade secrets," the company said in an October court filing.
The case is Apple v. Liu, 5:26-cv-07078, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.