OpenAI has taken down details about IO — the hardware collaboration it made with ex-Apple iPhone designer Jony Ive — over a trademark dispute. The website now states that a complaint was filed by IYO Inc., an AI firm that makes wearables.
The webpage that carried the announcement along with a video of OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman and Jony Ive has been removed. It now shows a notice that, “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.”
Mr. Altman’s firm, per a report by The Verge, has confirmed that though the mentions are taken down, the deal is still in place.
IYO was incubated as a part of Alphabet X “moonshot factory” and was eventually spun off in 2021. Alphabet is IYO’s first investor, and the startup is working on an AI-powered earbuds.
In May, OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s IO for $6.5 billion and said the duo will be working together to develop AI consumer devices.
