Apple has asked a federal judge to block OpenAI from using or benefiting from what the iPhone maker calls stolen trade secrets, escalating a legal fight that began in July over the ChatGPT maker’s hardware ambitions. The motion for a preliminary injunction was filed this week in the same case Apple opened on July 10 against OpenAI and two former Apple employees.

Apple’s original complaint accused a former Apple engineer and a former Apple design executive of running a scheme to funnel confidential product information from Apple’s hardware division to OpenAI as the company built out its own consumer devices business. Apple has said the alleged theft touched every level of its hardware operations.

In the new filing, Apple is asking the court to immediately stop OpenAI and the two individuals from accessing, acquiring, using or disclosing any of Apple’s alleged confidential information. The request also seeks an order preserving all relevant evidence and allowing Apple to conduct forensic inspections of OpenAI’s devices and employee accounts, along with the return of any Apple material still in OpenAI’s possession.

A hearing on Apple’s request for the preliminary injunction has been scheduled for October 1, 2026, giving both sides roughly two months to prepare arguments before a judge decides whether to grant the emergency order.

OpenAI has pushed back publicly. In a blog post responding to the injunction request, the company said Apple’s motion is both based on false information and completely unnecessary, adding that OpenAI does not have, and does not want, any of Apple’s trade secrets.

The dispute lands at a sensitive moment for both companies. OpenAI has been expanding into hardware as it looks beyond the ChatGPT app, while Apple has faced pressure to show its own AI strategy can keep pace with rivals. How the October hearing plays out could shape how aggressively Silicon Valley companies pursue former rivals’ employees when building new product lines.