Beijing People's Court granted the petition to invalidate Apple patents a Chinese company Zhi Zhen Network Technology on the technology used for voice assistant Siri. Until now, Chinese courts recognized the priority of the Chinese company.
Beijing Higher People's Court decided to accept the lawsuit filed by Apple Inc. to the Committee for the Review of China patents and technology company Zhi Zhen Network Technology, reports Kommersant. American plaintiff requested to invalidate a patent granted by a Chinese company on a system called Xiao I Robot, voice recognition and virtually the same technology Siri, which is used by Apple.
Start a patent war again in 2012 put the Chinese company, accusing Apple of patent infringement . The Chinese say that their system developed in 2003, an application to the Chinese patent authorities sent in 2004 and received a patent in 2006. At the same time, Siri was first developed by a startup Siri Inc. in 2007. In 2010, the startup was acquired by Apple, Siri and debuted with the iPhone 4s in 2011.
Point of view of the Chinese company in the trial court (the case was heard in the past year) supported the Patent Office of China , and the court upheld a Chinese company. In response to Apple by bringing your own lawsuit - this time against Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology and the Patent Office against China, demanding that the patent granted by the Chinese company, has been canceled.
Traditionally, Chinese courts act as support Chinese companies in disputes with foreign, more surprising decision of the court in Beijing. He fully supported Apple, recognized patent Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology invalid and gave the order to the Committee for the Review of patents to cancel it.
The judge said Jiao Yan, his decision to support a claim based on the fact that the patent of the Chinese company did not explain all the technological details, which contradicts the Chinese law. In addition, documents filed with the Chinese company to court, do not define clearly what is covered by the patent, and that it leaves unprotected.
Apple did not comment on the decision is, did not talk about it and the representative of the Patent Office.