Chinese companies have a long and proud history of copying Apple products. But the latest Chinese patent dispute in China involving Apple has an unusual twist: it’s Apple that’s been sued for patent infringement.
The maker of a Chinese phone called the 100C sued Apple, claiming that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus infringe on the company’s patents. And the Beijing Intellectual Property Office agrees. The agency has ordered Apple to stop selling its phone in China’s capital city.
Apple is challenging the ruling, and the phones continue to be available in some stores… but it’s worth noting that this dispute is about phones introduced in 2014. The 2015 iPhone 6s and and 6s Plus are not affected.
The ruling also only affects Beijing, although as Bloomberg notes, it could set a precedent if lawsuits are brought in any other jurisdictions in China.
China is Apple’s second biggest market, but the patent dispute isn’t the first issue the company has run into in that country. Earlier this year regulators also blocked Apple from selling eBooks and videos in China through its iBooks and iTunes stores.
via Engadget, and the Wall Street Journal