Jon Prosser misses response deadline as Apple lawsuit moves forward without him

Apple

The US District Court for the Northern District of California has approved Apple’s request to enter default against YouTuber Jon Prosser in the ongoing trade secrets lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed without his representation.

What is the case?

Last July, Apple filed a lawsuit against Jon Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti, accusing them of misappropriating trade secrets and violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The case centres on leaked details of Apple’s Liquid Design redesign in iOS 26, which Prosser published in videos earlier this year.

Apple alleges that Ramacciotti accessed the Development iPhone of former employee Ethan Lipnik without permission. According to the complaint, Ramacciotti tracked Lipnik’s location, obtained his passcode, and demonstrated unreleased iOS features to Prosser via a video call. Apple claims Prosser recorded the session, stored the videos on his own device, and shared them online, profiting through his YouTube channel. Apple is seeking a jury trial, along with injunctive relief, damages, punitive damages, and an order preventing further disclosure of its confidential material.

Prosser has consistently denied Apple’s claims and initially expressed willingness to engage with the company.

Latest developments

While Ramacciotti requested and received an extension to respond to Apple’s complaint, Prosser failed to file any response by the deadline. On October 10, Apple petitioned the court to enter default against him, which was granted last Friday. This allows the lawsuit to continue without Prosser’s participation.

It remains unclear why Prosser or his legal team did not respond. Legally, he can still petition the court to set aside the default if he can demonstrate excusable neglect or another valid reason. If this does not occur, the court is expected to issue a default judgment in Apple’s favour. However, the case’s resolution may be delayed as proceedings involving Ramacciotti continue.