GTAT claims it was forced into sapphire agreement with Apple in unsealed court docs

November 9, 2014

Unsealed court documents on Friday revealed that bankrupt sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) felt that it was forced by Apple into accepting the revised deal where Apple would provide financing and GTAT would shoulder the risk of sapphire production. GTAT executives were allegedly told to put on their big boy pants and accept the agreement as Apple doesn't negotiate with its suppliers.

The unsealed documents give us a rare look into the confidentiality agreements that Apple suppliers have to sign as well as the Master Development and Supply Agreement between Apple and GTAT.

GTAT also asserts that Apple had injected itself into the manufacturing process, costing more money and resources that GTAT had to shoulder.

Furthermore, GTAT claims that it was forced into entering an agreement with Apple because it couldn't talk to any of Apple's competitors about selling its furnaces. After having invested months in negotiating, it was forced into the agreement that it had ultimately signed.

You can view the documents below if you're interested in all the details:

GT Advanced/Apple Agreements by Kif Leswing