AI firm sues Apple for $1.4 billion, alleges Siri infringes on its patents

[nanoguy]

What just happened? Apple's Siri is not the most successful digital assistant, but that didn't stop a Chinese AI company from use it as a means to block sales of Apple devices in the region and potentially score some settlement cash. All of this is possible thanks to a patent awarded by the Shanghai Supreme Court, which could be entirely unrelated to the AI tech found in Siri.

Shanghai-based Zhizhen Network Technology was recently awarded a patent for voice assistant technology that has many similarities with Apple's Siri. While that wouldn't sit well with the Cupertino company in any possible situation, it does come at a time when the US and China are trading blows in a trade war.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the Chinese company has filed a lawsuit in a local court that alleges Apple has infringed on its newly-awarded patent and is seeking an estimated 10 billion yuan (around $1.45 billion) in damages.

While it may appear like the digital assistants developed by Amazon and Google are preferred by most, Siri is integrated with almost every Apple product. Thus, Zhizhen is aiming to obtain a full ban on all Siri-enabled products in China, which includes iPhone, iPad, Macs, HomePod, and wearables like AirPods and Apple Watch.

It's worth noting that Zhizhen, also known as Xiao-I, won the digital assistant technology patent after eight years of efforts in that direction. But while Xiao-I's patent has been acknowledged by the Shanghai court, proving that Apple's Siri is a carbon copy of it will be a challenge.

Apple believes it has a good fighting chance and noted that Siri doesn't include the features described in Xiao-I's patent, which are mostly related to gaming and instant messaging. According to Apple's third quarter report, it generated $9.33 billion in revenue from China, that's approximately 16 percent of the total revenue for that quarter.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/86228-ai-firm-sues-apple-14-billion-alleges-siri.html

 

[psycros]

In the past 30 years China hasn't honored a single foreign patent while ruthlessly enforcing their own, most of which are based on stolen designs. It still amazes me that the US, unlike nearly every other country on Earth, has done nothing to protect its own industries since the 1970's. The one exception might be the literally cancerous spread of GMO hybrid crops by Monsanto, which have infected natural farms around the world. Monsanto has successfully sued the farms they infected with their Frankenfoods either into bankruptcy or paying to be invaded. If China ever allowed those hybrid seeds to be planted within its borders I'm sure they laughed when Monsanto demanded they pay up.

 

[kimo1]

In the past 30 years China hasn't honored a single foreign patent while ruthlessly enforcing their own, most of which are based on stolen designs. It still amazes me that the US, unlike nearly every other country on Earth, has done nothing to protect its own industries since the 1970's. The one exception might be the literally cancerous spread of GMO hybrid crops by Monsanto, which have infected natural farms around the world. Monsanto has successfully sued the farms they infected with their Frankenfoods either into bankruptcy or paying to be invaded. If China ever allowed those hybrid seeds to be planted within its borders I'm sure they laughed when Monsanto demanded they pay up.

China doesn't need genetically mutated food from the west that has 60% less nutritional value and causes cancer and dementia over time. China has its own fake food, which is 100% fake, has no nutritional value, and not only it causes cancer and dementia, it's also 100% guaranteed to destroy kidneys.
While in the west you rarely hear about organ harvesting. In China it's very common business.
But oh boy, nobody can say no to that super cheap labor you get in China.

 

[tacobravo]

China is a joke when it comes to IP patents. Siri was released 8 years ago when their patent was filed. Doesn't look suspicious at all.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Apple knows what to do.

Tell them what to go do with themselves while we're buying that stock about to split.

 

[mbrowne5061]

... the literally cancerous spread of GMO hybrid crops by Monsanto, which have infected natural farms around the world. Monsanto has successfully sued the farms they infected with their Frankenfoods either into bankruptcy or paying to be invaded. If China ever allowed those hybrid seeds to be planted within its borders I'm sure they laughed when Monsanto demanded they pay up.

... genetically mutated food from the west that has 60% less nutritional value and causes cancer and dementia over time. China has its own fake food, which is 100% fake, has no nutritional value, and not only it causes cancer and dementia, it's also 100% guaranteed to destroy kidneys.
...

Source?

 

[Shadowboxer]

I’d suggest Apple should pull out of China entirely. It’s a conflict of interest. I don’t like that Apple might make concessions to the Chinese government regarding user privacy within their OS.

It would be just too, the Chinese don’t care if their companies profit off foreign patents but apparently theirs are more important. Seriously the Chinese government are a bag of d1cks...

 

[Lew Zealand]

In the past 30 years China hasn't honored a single foreign patent while ruthlessly enforcing their own, most of which are based on stolen designs. It still amazes me that the US, unlike nearly every other country on Earth, has done nothing to protect its own industries since the 1970's. The one exception might be the literally cancerous spread of GMO hybrid crops by Monsanto, which have infected natural farms around the world. Monsanto has successfully sued the farms they infected with their Frankenfoods either into bankruptcy or paying to be invaded. If China ever allowed those hybrid seeds to be planted within its borders I'm sure they laughed when Monsanto demanded they pay up.

That is a fictional story that the anti-GMO crowd loves to tell. Go ahead and post a link to the lawsuit. Should be an easy find.

 

[Puiu]

China doesn't need genetically mutated food from the west that has 60% less nutritional value and causes cancer and dementia over time. China has its own fake food, which is 100% fake, has no nutritional value, and not only it causes cancer and dementia, it's also 100% guaranteed to destroy kidneys.
While in the west you rarely hear about organ harvesting. In China it's very common business.
But oh boy, nobody can say no to that super cheap labor you get in China.

I'm sorry, but if you are trying to spread fake information then do it somewhere else. I'm tired of these conspiracy theories based on stupid fears that I can disprove with a 5 second google search on every website I visit.