Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology Co. said today it’s suing Apple for US$1.43 billion, claiming Apple violated its patent with Siri (via WSJ).
Shanghai Zhizhen Lawsuit
In late June, China’s Supreme Court ruled that Shanghai Zhizhen owns a patent for a virtual assistant with technology similar to Siri. This was the result of a legal battle between the two companies that lasted eight years. Shanghai Zhizhen now alleges that Apple is infringing on that patent and wants Apple to stop sales, production, and the use of products using Siri.
If Shanghai Zhizhen applies for a preliminary injunction, the court could decide to ban Apple from selling products loaded with Siri in China for the duration of the trial, said Fang Jianwei […] However, Mr. Fang said such injunctions have to meet strict conditions and are rarely granted by Chinese courts. And the patent-infringement suit isn’t a surefire win for Shanghai Zhizhen, he added.
This isn’t Apple’s only legal battle in China. In 2016 it lost a trademark battle with Xintong Tiandi Technology Co, which sells various leather goods under the label ‘IPHONE.”
As the earlier battle when Apple lost the dispute over the iPhone brand, you can’t trust Chinese courts.