In the month of June 2025, a legal conflict emerged between OpenAI and its collaborator, the well-known designer Jony Ive, and a former Google employee who had created a startup called iyO, focused on the development of an audio device (headphones).
At the beginning of 2025, iyO presented its product to OpenAI and Jony Ive’s design studio, with the aim of establishing a potential collaboration. Subsequently, OpenAI and Jony Ive launched a joint project called “io”, a hardware device operating through artificial intelligence. iyO filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Ive, claiming that the name “io” is phonetically very similar to “iyO” and may cause confusion among consumers. The claims include infringement of trademark rights and unfair competition. In addition to the phonetic similarity, both names refer to products belonging to the same field – technology.
On June 20, 2025, a federal court in the United States ordered the temporary prohibition of OpenAI and its partners from using the name “io” in publications and marketing. As a result, OpenAI was compelled to remove all materials from its official website mentioning “io,” including videos, articles, and announcements.
