OpenAI Quietly Pulls “io” Branding Amid Trademark Clash with Google Startup

Image: OpenAI

OpenAI Quietly Pulls “io” Branding Amid Trademark Clash with Google Startup

OpenAI has quietly removed references to io, the hardware venture it recently announced it would acquire from former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive, following a court order that temporarily bars the AI titan from using the mark. The ruling stems from a trademark lawsuit ...

June 25, 2025 - By TFL

OpenAI Quietly Pulls “io” Branding Amid Trademark Clash with Google Startup

Image : OpenAI

key points

OpenAI has removed all references to its newly acquired hardware brand following a court order in a trademark lawsuit filed by iyO.

iyO claims that OpenAI, Sam Altman, and Jony Ive infringed its trademark through the use of the phonetically identical name, io.

The dispute threatens to derail io's branding, though OpenAI insists the $6.5B acquisition and device development will continue.

Case Documentation

OpenAI Quietly Pulls “io” Branding Amid Trademark Clash with Google Startup

OpenAI has quietly removed references to io, the hardware venture it recently announced it would acquire from former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive, following a court order that temporarily bars the AI titan from using the mark. The ruling stems from a trademark lawsuit launched by iyO, a lesser-known hearing technology company spun out of X, Google’s semi-secret research and development venture, which alleges that OpenAI, its CEO Sam Altman, designer Jony Ive, and IO Products, Inc. are infringing its iyO mark through use of the phonetically identical io branding.

In recent days, all promotional material tied to io has been taken offline, including a sleek nine-minute video in which Altman praised the yet-to-be-released hardware device as “the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen.” That video, once hosted on YouTube, has been removed, along with language referencing the io brand across OpenAI’s website and social media platforms.

In a brief update to its now-blank launch page, OpenAI cited a court order stemming from a trademark complaint filed by iyO. “We don’t agree with the complaint and are reviewing our options,” the company stated.

The removal of io-related branding has raised questions about whether the $6.5 billion deal – originally announced last month – is at risk. However, OpenAI clarified that the lawsuit has no bearing on the underlying acquisition of Ive’s company or the development of the device itself, with Ive set to lead design efforts for future consumer-facing hardware projects.

Trademark Tensions

The crux of the underlying trademark dispute centers on the rights to “io,” a term that carries heavy symbolic weight in the tech industry – commonly associated with “input/output” and often used in branding to signal futuristic or system-level innovation. For iyO, whose brand identity is similarly minimalist and tech-forward, OpenAI’s adoption of the sound-alike mark via Ive’s company threatens to overshadow its existing trademark rights and potentially confuse consumers.

In the complaint it filed in federal court in California on June 9, iyO asserts that OpenAI, Altman, Ive, and IO Products, Inc. knowingly infringed its trademark rights by launching a similarly named company in a nearly identical product category. iyO alleges it spent over $60 million and seven years developing its screenless, voice-controlled AI wearable – the iyO One – and began marketing the product well before OpenAI’s announcement. According to the company, both OpenAI and Ive’s design studio, LoveFrom, were aware of iyO’s brand and technology as a result of meetings and product demos dating back to 2022.

In some cases, OpenAI representatives even pre-ordered iyO devices and requested access to its intellectual property prior to announcing the competing io venture, the company claims.

The lawsuit, which names OpenAI, Altman, Ive, and IO Products, Inc. as defendants, seeks injunctive relief and damages for trademark infringement, false designation of origin, contributory infringement, and unfair competition. iyO contends that the phonetic similarity between “iyO” and “io,” combined with overlapping product functions, is causing actual consumer confusion and harming its ability to raise funds, manufacture devices, and preserve its brand identity. The company – which nabbed an early win by way of a temporary restraining order issued on June 20 – further alleges that OpenAI’s scale and media influence threaten to erase its market position entirely.

A Strategic Priority and the Risk

The naming setback comes at a pivotal moment for OpenAI, which has turned part of its focus toward consumer hardware. The impending acquisition of io is being positioned not simply as a talent play but as a foundational step toward OpenAI’s long-term goal: building AI-powered devices designed for daily, ambient use.

The forthcoming product – described by Altman as neither a phone nor glasses – has been characterized as “unobtrusive” and capable of perceiving a user’s surroundings and behaviors. Reports suggest that the device is intended to serve as a new category of companion technology, with OpenAI internally targeting production volumes in the hundreds of millions. In a now-unavailable announcement video, Ive framed the project in existential terms, stating that his entire career trajectory had led him to this moment. The product is reportedly already in use by Altman, but a public unveiling remains pending.

Although OpenAI maintains that the trademark challenge will not derail the broader initiative, the branding dispute highlights the growing tension between emerging tech ventures and trademark law – a space increasingly crowded with names designed to evoke futurism, minimalism, and ambiguity.

Should the court side with iyO, OpenAI may be forced to rebrand the device entirely – an early complication for its consumer hardware ambitions. Alternatively, the company could opt to settle or negotiate a licensing agreement. Either way, the dispute underscores a critical reality: as AI becomes embedded in more tangible products, questions of brand identity, legal strategy, and consumer perception will only grow more complex.

Updated

June 26, 2025

In a filing, io Products, Inc., OpenAI, Inc., OpenAI, LLC, Sam Altman, and Sir Jonathan Paul Ive alerted the district court that they will appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from the Court’s June 20, 2025 Order granting injunctive relief to iyO.

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