Apple has asked a federal judge to impose an immediate preliminary injunction against OpenAI and two former Apple employees now working for the artificial intelligence company, escalating an ongoing legal battle over alleged trade-secret theft.

The iPhone maker wants the court to prevent the defendants from accessing, recruiting, using, possessing or disclosing information that Apple claims is confidential, Reuters reported.

Apple filed the lawsuit last month, accusing the former employees of improperly taking proprietary information before joining OpenAI and alleging that the material could benefit the AI company’s hardware efforts.

In its latest court filing, Apple said emergency restrictions are needed to prevent further access to or use of its confidential and trade-secret information while the case moves forward.

The company asked the judge to prohibit the two former employees from disclosing the disputed information to OpenAI, any current or future employer or anyone else. Apple also requested an order requiring OpenAI to reveal whether it has accessed or currently possesses any of the alleged trade secrets.

Apple argued that it could suffer irreparable harm without a preliminary injunction and maintained that monetary compensation alone would not adequately protect it from the alleged misuse of its confidential material.

OpenAI rejected the accusations, saying Apple’s request is based entirely on allegations. The company said it does not possess, use or share Apple’s trade secrets.

The lawsuit is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)