Apple sues Chinese government agency, firm over Siri: Report

Apple sues Chinese government agency, firm over Siri: Report
Advertisement
US technology giant Apple is suing a Chinese government agency and a domestic company over patent rights for its "Siri" personal assistant, the official Xinhua news agency said Monday.

Apple launched the case against the State Intellectual Property Office, which is in charge of patent rights protection in China, and Shanghai's Zhizhen Network Technology, which developed software similar to Siri, the report said.

Apple declined to comment to AFP, saying it does not comment on any ongoing litigation.

The US company previously asked the State Intellectual Property Office to declare Zhizhen's voice recognition patent invalid but the request was declined, prompting the legal action, Xinhua said.

The Beijing Number one Intermediate People's Court will hear the case on Thursday, it added.

Last year, Zhizhen itself accused the California-based technology giant of copying its "Xiao i Robot" software, which it patented in 2004, to develop Siri.

The case was heard by a Shanghai court in July, state media have reported, but no ruling has been announced.

Siri, described by Apple as an "intelligent personal assistant", made its debut with the release of the iPhone 4S in 2011 and responds to a user's commands through voice recognition software.

Zhizhen claims its product works in a similar way and has wide application in areas including telecommunications, finance and e-commerce.

Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said in January last year that he expected China to become his company's largest market, though he gave no timeframe.

Its revenue in Greater China which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan reached $5.7 billion for the fiscal quarter ending in September 2013, up 24 percent from the previous quarter, according to the company.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Tim Cook, Siri, Apple, Mobiles
Next-generation YotaPhone with 4.7-inch E-ink display, Snapdragon 800 unveiled
Intel launches 64-bit smartphone Atom processor, outlines 2014 growth strategy
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »