OpenAI Can’t Use the ‘io’ Name for Its AI Hardware Device, Court Rules

OpenAI’s hardware ambitions have hit a new roadblock after a court banned it from using the “io” name for its upcoming AI device.

Jony Ive—the former Apple designer who helped create the original iPhone during his decades-long career at Apple—founded the startup io in 2024 to develop next-generation hardware for AI. In May, OpenAI acquired the startup for an estimated $6.5 billion and announced plans to make a hardware device.

Google Ventures-backed startup iyO, which makes AI…