A federal judge in Texas has denied OpenAI’s request to obtain a confidential settlement between Apple and SpaceXAI, ruling that the agreement is not relevant to the remaining issues in an antitrust lawsuit brought by Elon Musk’s companies. Judge Mark Pittman said Thursday that he reviewed the requested documents privately and found no information that would affect decisions at summary judgment or trial. He also cited the courts’ longstanding interest in protecting settlement negotiations so parties can resolve disputes without automatically exposing the terms. “Having conducted an in camera review of the requested materials,” Pittman wrote, the court determined that the documents “do not present information relevant to the issues to be decided” in the case. SpaceXAI and X Corp. sued Apple and OpenAI last year, alleging that the companies engaged in unlawful business practices designed to strengthen their control over artificial intelligence technology. The claims included allegations that Apple manipulated App Store rankings and participated in an improper arrangement with OpenAI. Musk’s companies said Monday that they had reached an agreement with Apple to withdraw their claims against the iPhone maker. The filing seeking voluntary dismissal did not explain the settlement’s terms or provide a public account of what Apple and SpaceXAI agreed to. OpenAI then asked the court to compel disclosure of the deal, apparently seeking information it could use in the continuing dispute. Pittman noted that courts sometimes require confidential settlements to be produced when their contents bear directly on questions for trial or summary judgment. In this case, he concluded, that standard was not met. The ruling leaves the settlement concealed while the broader antitrust conflict between Musk’s companies and OpenAI proceeds. It also underscores the difficulty of using private agreements between powerful technology companies as evidence in a separate competition case without showing a direct connection to the claims at issue.