Chinese company sues Apple for patent infringement with Siri
Apple showed up in a Shanghai court on Wednesday on the receiving end of a patent suit, with a Chinese company alleging that the Siri digital assistant featured in iPhones and iPads is based on software that infringes its patents.
Zhi Zhen Network Technology filed a Chinese patent application for its Xiao i Robot software in 2004, and that that patent was granted in 2006. Like Siri, Xiao i Robot features voice interactions, with the ability to answer questions and hold simple conversations.
Zhi Zhen has released versions of Xiao i Robot for the web, Android, Windows Phone, desktops, and Apple's iOS. The firm claims its technology has more than 100 million users in China, with companies such as China Mobile, China Telecom, and a number of major banks featuring Xiao i Robot.
Zhi Zhen launched its suit in July of last year, shortly after Siri became available in China. Lawyers representing the firm told AFP that the Zhi Zhen's goal is to get Apple to stop infringing, but that a monetary settlement could be a possibility.
"The company will ask Apple to stop manufacturing and selling products using its patent rights, once Apple's infringement is confirmed," said Si Weijiang, a Zhi Zhen lawyer. "We don't exclude the possibility of demanding compensation in the future."
Apple's Wednesday court appearance was a part of pre-trial proceedings. The full case is slated for a July hearing, according to Zhi Zhen spokespersons. The two companies will in the near future exchange evidence at a pre-trial hearing.
Zhi Zhen Network Technology filed a Chinese patent application for its Xiao i Robot software in 2004, and that that patent was granted in 2006. Like Siri, Xiao i Robot features voice interactions, with the ability to answer questions and hold simple conversations.
Zhi Zhen has released versions of Xiao i Robot for the web, Android, Windows Phone, desktops, and Apple's iOS. The firm claims its technology has more than 100 million users in China, with companies such as China Mobile, China Telecom, and a number of major banks featuring Xiao i Robot.
Zhi Zhen launched its suit in July of last year, shortly after Siri became available in China. Lawyers representing the firm told AFP that the Zhi Zhen's goal is to get Apple to stop infringing, but that a monetary settlement could be a possibility.
"The company will ask Apple to stop manufacturing and selling products using its patent rights, once Apple's infringement is confirmed," said Si Weijiang, a Zhi Zhen lawyer. "We don't exclude the possibility of demanding compensation in the future."
Apple's Wednesday court appearance was a part of pre-trial proceedings. The full case is slated for a July hearing, according to Zhi Zhen spokespersons. The two companies will in the near future exchange evidence at a pre-trial hearing.
Comments
You know, SIRI was a DARPA project which likely dates back more than a decade from 2004. Sue that.
The iPhone wasn't even released in 2006 and Android and Windows Phone were nowhere to be seen at that point. How can this company claim they come to the market first? I also find the UI similarity kind of... odd. The Xiao iRobot and Siri has almost exact same GUI, the same level of similarity that led to the $1B verdict against Samsung. Those companies have no shame in China, and the legal system is more likely than not to back them up.
Seems legit....
Why wait till not to sue? All these years. Apple bought SIRI. Why get sued for some thing you bought?
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That said, the real headline here? "China could finally start to care about IP."
That is my exact thought. I doubt DARPA was beaten to this technology by this Chinese company. Perhaps Apple will be able to turn the tables!
In fact that makes me ask, has a suit like this ever actually backfired on the initial claimant? This company has raised its head above the parapet as using a Siri like technology. What if Apple is found to be clearly the patent holders from the DARPA history. Then surely this company is in deep dodo and may not have otherwise risen to Apple's radar level.
It almost seems like something in the China/Apple relationship has changed in the past few months. Personally I think it's China playing hardball with Apple. If they want to do business there it will be on Chinese terms including access to communications using iDevices. I think that's pretty much what they wanted from Google isn't it?
And then what?? "Apple gets sued in China over iOS UI" "Apple gets sued in China over OS X UI" Hell, "Apple gets sued over the use GUI" **** the Chinese and their third world judiciary system
Quote:
Originally Posted by tylerk36
Why wait till not to sue? All these years. Apple bought SIRI. Why get sued for some thing you bought?
caveat emptor. It happens all the time. It's part of the risk of Mergers and Acquisitions. The interesting thing is whether the Patent survives in China, less so what happens in the US or other jurisdictions not currently involved. Could get to be quite an interesting scrap with quite a lot at stake for Apple in the first instance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zozman
Seems legit....
Do you really think Apple and Zhi Zhen Network Technology both came up with the microphone with circling purple neon high-lights?
Zhi Zhen Network Technology might have some voice/interaction tech and some valid patents but those were not demonstrated here. The UI demonstrated was a 100% rip off of SIRI.
Keep in mind this is a Chinese lawsuit. Unless apple has CHINESE patents dating before 2004 in china. they will lose. Remember this is a lawsuit in china. Seems like a valid one this time around.
I think apple will end up settling .
Seeking injunctions of infringing products. Sounds like the iPad trademark case. They don't want to just block sales of the products in China - since they are made in China they want to stop export as well. This prevents Apple from selling products anywhere in the world. If successful they can demand almost anything for compensation.
Apple is diversifying it's supply chain to rely less on Samsung for components. They need to do the same with manufacturing so a single corrupt government can't hold them hostage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by majortom1981
Keep in mind this is a Chinese lawsuit. Unless apple has CHINESE patents dating before 2004 in china. they will lose. Remember this is a lawsuit in china. Seems like a valid one this time around.
I think apple will end up settling .
And you know this how? Please show me the actual Chinese patent and the feature of Siri that infringes this patent.
So could the speech recognition built into the Mac Centris 660av and Quadra 840av released in the mid 1990s. , "Computer, what time is it?", "Computer, tell me a joke."
Waiting for Apple to buy Teddy Ruxpin and countersue Xiao
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I think the reason that they waited was for someone as big as Apple to integrate something that looks as though they have violated it and then put it though the Chinese courts who are not known for recognising western pattent laws. Further as pattens are partitioned into regions then the Chinese company will have to show they took out patents and kept them valid in the all the regions that they are staking a claim in.
To be honest I am getting quite fed up with the world and his wife trying the 'me too' or 'me first' approach.
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