Elon Musk Pursues Additional Evidence Amid Apple and OpenAI’s Deadline Extension
Recent court documents reveal that Elon Musk has formally requested information from an undisclosed South Korean organization. Meanwhile, Apple and OpenAI have successfully obtained an extension to submit their legal responses. Below is a comprehensive overview of the ongoing developments.
Legal Proceedings Intensify: Musk’s Evidence Request and Extended Deadlines for Apple and OpenAI
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, who recently denied Apple’s and OpenAI’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, emphasized the necessity for further evidence before ruling. The lawsuit, initiated by Musk, centers on the decline in Grok’s App Store ranking following a recent update.
Musk alleges that Apple’s collaboration with OpenAI has created an unfair competitive environment, effectively sidelining other AI developers within the App Store ecosystem. Apple has categorically denied these claims. After the lawsuit was filed, both Apple and OpenAI sought dismissal, but the court rejected their request, demanding additional documentation to clarify the situation.
In response, Apple and OpenAI have petitioned for more time to prepare their filings, a routine procedural move that the court approved. Their new deadline to submit responses is December 11, 2018.
International Evidence Gathering: South Korean Entity Under Scrutiny
Notably, the court has authorized xAI’s motion to obtain judicial assistance internationally, specifically targeting a South Korean company for evidence collection. The official court order states:
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO ISSUE LETTER FOR INTERNATIONAL JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE PURSUANT TO THE HAGUE CONVENTION ON THE TAKING OF EVIDENCE ABROAD IN CIVIL OR COMMERCIAL MATTERS
The court will execute the Letter of Request along with a certified Korean translation bearing original signatures. The Clerk of Court will affix official seals before transmitting the documents directly to the National Court Administration of the Republic of Korea.
At present, the identity of the South Korean entity remains confidential. Potential candidates include Samsung or SK Hynix, both of which supply critical AI infrastructure to OpenAI. Another plausible party is Kakao, which recently integrated ChatGPT into its KakaoTalk Superapp-a platform utilized by over 90% of South Korea’s population. However, the target could be an entirely different organization.
Regardless of the entity involved, this development signals that a South Korean company is now entwined in this high-profile legal dispute. Meanwhile, Apple and OpenAI must finalize their court submissions by the mid-December deadline.
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