On Sunday, users on X noticed that OpenAI had removed the official blog post announcing its partnership with Jony Ive and had eliminated the “io” branding. Additionally, OpenAI took down the YouTube video where Sam Altman and Jony Ive discussed the AI-centric hardware device. This action was prompted by a trademark complaint, which forced OpenAI to remove the “io” branding from all of its official platforms.
In a statement posted on X, OpenAI explained, “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.”
Before this confirmation, many speculated that OpenAI and Jony Ive might be ending their collaboration. In reality, a company called iyO, which is developing AI-powered earbuds, filed a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI. The court issued a temporary injunction requiring OpenAI to remove all promotional content related to the “io” branding to avoid potential consumer confusion.
Although the blog post and video were taken down from OpenAI’s official sites, the video featuring Sam Altman remains available on his X page.
https://x.com/sama/status/1925242282523103408
Last month, OpenAI and Jony Ive announced their collaboration, revealing that Ive’s AI-focused hardware startup, io, is merging with OpenAI. Moreover, Ive’s design firm, LoveFrom, will take charge of design and creative direction for both OpenAI and io.