OpenAI and Jony Ive’s ‘io’ brand has vanished, but their AI hardware deal remains

OpenAI has removed all mentions of its hardware startup io’ from its website and social media channels due to a trademark lawsuit from Iyo, a hearing device startup spun out of Google’s moonshot factory.
The deal between OpenAI and io’ remains intact, with plans to create dedicated AI hardware valued at nearly $6.5 billion.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Jony Ive announced the partnership in an announcement blog post and a nine-minute video that are no longer available due to the trademark lawsuit.
The trademark complaint from Iyo claims OpenAI’s use of the name ‘io’ infringes on their trademark, prompting the court order for the website and social media pages to be temporarily taken down.
OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood stated that they do not agree with the complaint and are reviewing their options, indicating a potential dispute over the trademark issue.

OpenAI has scrubbed mentions of io, the hardware startup co-founded by famous Apple designer Jony Ive, from its website and social media channels. The sudden change closely follows their recent announcement of OpenAI’s nearly $6.5 billion acquisition and plans to create dedicated AI hardware.

OpenAI tells The Verge the deal is still happening, but it scrubbed mentions due to a trademark lawsuit from Iyo, the hearing device startup spun out of Google’s moonshot factory.

The announcement blog post and a nine-minute video featuring Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are no longer available. The blog post from Ive and Altman announcing the deal said, “The io team, focused on developing products that inspire, empower and enable, will now merge with OpenAI to work more intimately with the research, engineering and product teams in San Francisco.”

OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood:

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.

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Q. Why did OpenAI remove mentions of io from its website and social media channels?

A. OpenAI removed mentions of io due to a trademark lawsuit from Iyo, the hearing device startup spun out of Google’s moonshot factory.

Q. What is the reason behind the trademark lawsuit from Iyo against OpenAI?

A. The trademark lawsuit is related to OpenAI’s use of the name “io” which Iyo claims as their own.

Q. Is the acquisition deal between OpenAI and io still happening?

A. Yes, according to OpenAI, the deal is still happening, but they are reviewing their options due to the trademark complaint.

Q. What was announced by Jony Ive and Sam Altman in a blog post about the deal with OpenAI?

A. The blog post announced that the io team would merge with OpenAI to work more intimately with the research, engineering, and product teams in San Francisco.

Q. Why did OpenAI remove the announcement blog post and video featuring Ive and Altman from their website?

A. The blog post and video were removed due to a court order following a trademark complaint from Iyo.

Q. What is the current status of OpenAI’s acquisition plans for io?

A. OpenAI plans to create dedicated AI hardware, but the deal remains on hold due to the trademark lawsuit.

Q. Who is Kayla Wood, and what did she say about the situation with OpenAI and io?

A. Kayla Wood is an OpenAI spokesperson who stated that the page is temporarily down due to a court order following a trademark complaint from Iyo, and they don’t agree with the complaint.