OpenAI has removed a popular promotional video showcasing the friendship between CEO Sam Altman and legendary Apple designer Jony Ive, along with details of a $6.5 billion deal to acquire Ive’s device startup, io. The move has sparked speculation—does this indicate issues with the acquisition or plans for Ive to take on a leadership role at OpenAI? Not quite, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. He reassures that “the deal is on track and has NOT dissolved or anything of the sort.” The actual reason for the removal? A court order related to a trademark dispute over the io name, which has led the company to temporarily pull all materials using it.
OpenAI confirmed the situation, updating its announcement page to state, “This page is temporarily down due to a court order following a trademark complaint from iyO about our use of the name ‘io.’ We don’t agree with the complaint and are reviewing our options.” Importantly, OpenAI clarified that the legal issue does not impact the deal with io.
The startup iyO, originating from Alphabet’s X “moonshot factory,” has announced its first product—a set of AI-powered earbuds. Bloomberg Law reported that iyO has filed a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI, with a judge indicating openness to the argument that OpenAI’s promotional video might be causing consumer confusion.
For now, the video remains accessible on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
