# Apple vs OpenAI Lawsuit: Trial Scheduled for July 19, 2027

A new court order sets the timetable for Apple's trade secrets case, without deciding whether its allegations are true.

By Paras Madan | 2026-10-30


Apple's trade secrets lawsuit involving OpenAI now has a scheduled trial date: July 19, 2027. An October 28 order from Judge Edward J. Davila sets the timetable for evidence gathering and pretrial proceedings. It does not decide whether Apple has proved its allegations.

The distinction matters because a concrete court date can easily sound like a concrete finding. Here, the new information is about when the dispute will be tested, not who has won it.

## What the court scheduled

The [case management order](https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/10/gov.uscourts.cand_.474095.198.0.pdf), filed in the Northern District of California, follows an October 14 conference. Its key milestones are:

| Milestone | Scheduled date |
| --- | --- |
| Substantial completion of document production | February 5, 2027 |
| Close of fact discovery | March 12, 2027 |
| Expert discovery cutoff | April 28, 2027 |
| Final pretrial conference | June 24, 2027 |
| Trial | July 19, 2027, at 9 a.m. |

The order also requires lead counsel to meet by June 1 about settlement, pretrial filings and narrowing contested issues. That requirement is not an announcement of a settlement.

## What Apple alleges, and what OpenAI has said

Apple's [July complaint](https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/07/Apple-Inc.-v.-Liu-et-al.pdf) names former employees Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, OpenAI entities and io Products. Apple alleges misappropriation of confidential hardware information and breach of contract in connection with OpenAI's hardware efforts. Those are Apple's claims, not established facts.

In its response at the time, OpenAI said it had no interest in other companies' trade secrets and was focused on developing its own technology. That statement was [reported with the company's public response](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/10/openai-responds-to-apples-trade-secret-theft-lawsuit/). Neither that response nor Apple's complaint resolves the factual dispute.

## Why the next evidence matters more than hardware speculation

The case sits at an important boundary for AI hardware: expertise travels with people, while companies also claim protection over confidential designs and manufacturing knowledge. The difficult questions concern the particular information at issue, how it was obtained and what happened to it afterward.

A trial calendar cannot answer those questions. It also cannot establish the design, release date or commercial prospects of a future OpenAI device. Treating this procedural update as a product forecast would go beyond the evidence.

The useful thing to watch now is whether later filings and rulings clarify those disputed facts. Until then, the schedule provides a way to follow the case without mistaking the existence of litigation for proof of misconduct.

I’m Paras. I work at the intersection of AI, engineering and distribution.

I help technical founders explain complex product developments clearly, with the evidence and limitations kept intact.

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