ItInsightsWorld General: Apple v. OpenAI Discovery Deadlines Take Shape

ItInsightsWorld reports that the trade-secret dispute between Apple and OpenAI has entered a structured pretrial phase. The court schedule requires the parties to complete most document production by February 5, 2027, close fact discovery by March 12, and finish expert discovery by April 28.

The claims at issue

Apple filed the lawsuit in July 2026 against OpenAI, two former Apple employees Don Tan and Chang Liu, related OpenAI entities, and io Products. The company alleges that the two former employees departed with confidential product design and technology material and helped OpenAI pursue consumer hardware development. OpenAI rejects the allegation, saying the employees may have had access to or retained Apple files without realizing they were Apple trade secrets.

Upcoming procedural milestones

Date	Court step
June 1	Lead lawyers meet to review settlement possibility, joint pretrial documents, and ways to narrow the disputed issues.
June 10	Davila is scheduled to hear evidence-expert and other substantive motions.
June 24	A final pretrial conference is set.

These deadlines are routine steps in federal civil litigation. They do not show that Apple and OpenAI have chosen to settle.

Discovery and prior disputes

Earlier stages included arguments over injunctions and evidence production. Based on claims that OpenAI and the former employees improperly acquired or used confidential information, Apple asked the court to restrict their use of the materials; OpenAI committed not to use Apple trade secrets while the lawsuit continues. Recently, the court allowed Apple to obtain additional records connected with former Apple employees hired by OpenAI, including certain devices, communications, recruiting interviews, and internal handling of confidential materials. The matter remains in evidence gathering, and the court has not ruled on whether Apple's trade-secret misappropriation allegations are established.