San Francisco, July 21, 2025 — Apple Inc. has filed a high-stakes trade secret lawsuit in the Northern District of California against prominent tech YouTuber Jon Prosser and his associate Michael Ramacciotti, accusing the pair of accessing Apple employees' internal developer iPhones to leak confidential details about the unreleased iOS 26 operating system.
The legal complaint, filed earlier this week, alleges that Prosser and Ramacciotti engaged in a "coordinated scheme" to obtain and disclose proprietary information, specifically highlighting Prosser’s YouTube videos published between January and April 2025. These videos, Apple claims, accurately previewed the "Liquid Glass" redesign—a major visual overhaul of iOS’s interface—that the company officially unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
Apple, known for its strict secrecy around upcoming products, asserts that the leaks caused significant harm to its competitive position, undermining the impact of its WWDC announcement and potentially compromising development timelines. The lawsuit emphasizes that the "Liquid Glass" features, which include revamped animations, translucent UI elements, and adaptive color schemes, were closely guarded trade secrets accessible only to authorized employees via internal devices.
In response, Prosser has vehemently denied the allegations, taking to social media to declare he possesses "receipts" that will disprove Apple’s claims. A well-known figure in tech circles for his track record of leaking Apple news, Prosser has not specified what evidence he holds but insists his reporting was based on legitimate sources.
Legal experts note that trade secret cases against journalists or content creators often hinge on proving unauthorized access to confidential materials. Apple is seeking unspecified damages and a permanent injunction to prevent further leaks related to its unreleased software.
The case has ignited debate within the tech community about the balance between corporate secrecy and public interest in pre-release information, with supporters of Prosser framing the lawsuit as an attempt to silence independent reporting.
