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OpenAI has reportedly scrubbed all references to its newly acquired hardware subsidiary, io<\/i>, from its website this week, following a trademark dispute brought by iyO, a Google-backed start-up developing custom-moulded earpieces billed as \u201cthe world\u2019s first audio computer\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n According to MacRumors, the legal clash comes after iyO submitted court documents alleging that OpenAI <\/a>and io<\/i> were fully aware of its in-ear computing device, even going so far as to request a demonstration. Reportedly, the filings include emails that iyO says prove OpenAI\u2019s team was briefed on the start-up\u2019s innovation prior to launching its own hardware efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n OpenAI, which purchased io<\/i>, a company co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, for a reported $6.5 billion, has not publicly commented on the trademark claims. The AI firm has previously said that the io<\/i> acquisition could eventually add as much as $1 trillion in value to its business, the report said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In court documents filed on 12 June, io<\/i> co-founder<\/a> and ex-Apple hardware executive Tang Tan addressed the accusations, stating that while the company had indeed \u201csurveyed the existing commercial offerings\u201d in the early stages of development, this included buying over 30 different headphone and earbud models for research purposes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The publication highlights that Tan also clarified that the first product fromio<\/i> is \u201cnot an in-ear device, nor a wearable device\u201d, contradicting earlier speculation from tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo<\/a>. Kuo had predicted the device would be worn around the neck like a necklace, but Tan’s declaration suggests something quite different and perhaps more elusive. The product, according to the filings, is still \u201cat least a year away\u201d from being available for purchase.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n