Marked. - Issue 027
Apple accuses OpenAI of trade secret theft, while news publishers seek sanctions in a major copyright case.
Issue No. 027
July 13, 2026
New York
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The IP Briefing · by ESCA Legal
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| Apple filed a Northern California federal lawsuit accusing OpenAI, io Products, and two former Apple employees of misappropriating confidential hardware information and breaching contractual obligations. |
| § | Apple alleges that OpenAI hardware chief Tang Tan used confidential project names during recruiting and encouraged Apple job candidates to bring hardware components to interviews. | | § | The complaint accuses former Apple engineer Chang Liu of retaining a company laptop and downloading confidential technical files before joining OpenAI. | | § | Apple seeks damages, the return of confidential materials, and an order barring the defendants from using or disclosing its trade secrets. | | § | OpenAI says it has no interest in other companies' trade secrets and remains focused on developing its own technology. |
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| § ESCA Takeaway |
| This issue focuses on the evidence behind intellectual property claims, from alleged transfers of confidential hardware information to disputes over access to AI training data and system logs. |
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| More IP Stories |
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| § Copyright · Filed |
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| The New York Times, the Daily News, and other publishers asked a Manhattan federal judge to sanction OpenAI over its handling of training datasets and ChatGPT logs in consolidated copyright litigation. |
| § | The publishers allege that OpenAI withheld or destroyed evidence that could show how copyrighted news content was used in AI training and outputs. | | § | The motion cites testimony from an OpenAI employee that the publishers say conflicts with earlier statements about the company's ability to search its datasets and logs. | | § | OpenAI has said that limits on sharing ChatGPT logs are intended to protect user privacy. | | § | The court has not ruled on the sanctions request. |
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Why it matters
Copyright cases over AI training depend heavily on records showing what entered a model and what its systems produced. The sanctions request shifts attention from the underlying fair use dispute to evidence preservation and discovery access.
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This newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Published by ESCA Legal. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney advertising; prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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