South Korean Court Rejects xAI’s Request for Kakao Documents in Legal Dispute with Apple
South Korean judicial authorities have rejected a formal request submitted by xAI, the artificial intelligence company owned by Elon Musk, seeking access to documents from Kakao, the operator of one of the country’s largest super-app platforms. The request was filed as part of xAI’s legal efforts against Apple over its App Store policies.
In recent months, xAI’s legal team has sought to collect documents from super-app developers across several Asian markets, aiming to support claims that Apple’s App Store rules restrict competition and hinder users from switching from iPhones to alternative platforms.
Allegations of Restrictive Policies
xAI has accused Apple of imposing strict regulatory constraints on super-apps, limiting their functionality and weakening their competitive position. The company also argues that Apple’s cooperation with OpenAI exacerbates these restrictions and grants unfair advantages to rival services.
As part of its legal escalation, xAI invoked the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad, submitting official requests to obtain documents from Asian companies, including Kakao.
However, the South Korean Supreme Court’s international affairs officer rejected the request, stating that it was overly broad and insufficiently specific. The court noted that the request failed to meet the Convention’s requirements, which mandate precise identification of requested documents rather than broad demands for materials deemed merely “relevant.”
The decision also cited South Korea’s prior declaration under Article 23 of the Hague Convention, which allows the country to refuse pretrial discovery requests of a wide-ranging nature, rendering xAI’s application legally inadmissible.