OpenAI Halts Jony Ive Deal Promotion Due to Court Order Over ‘io’ Trademark

OpenAI has removed a promotional video featuring CEO Sam Altman and former Apple designer Jony Ive from its website and YouTube channel. The video highlighted their friendship and OpenAI’s planned $6.5 billion acquisition of Ive and Altman’s device startup, io. The removal has sparked speculation about the status of the acquisition and Ive’s role in leading design efforts at OpenAI.

However, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the deal is still on track. The removal of the promotional materials is due to a court-issued restraining order concerning the name “io.” The order follows a trademark complaint from iyO, a company emerging from Alphabet X’s “moonshot factory.”

OpenAI has confirmed the court order, updating its announcement page with the following statement: “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.” The company maintains that this legal challenge does not affect the acquisition of io.

iyO’s first announced product is a set of generative AI-powered earbuds. The company filed a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI, arguing that OpenAI’s promotional video could create consumer confusion. A judge appears open to iyO’s argument.

Despite the removal from OpenAI’s official channels, the promotional video remains viewable on X, according to Sam Altman’s X account. The situation is ongoing, and OpenAI is currently reviewing its options in response to the trademark complaint.

Updated Statement: OpenAI has confirmed the reason for the removal of the promotional materials is indeed due to the court order.