Another day, another lawsuit. Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology Company, Shanghai company that was recently awarded a Chinese patent for a voice assistant similar to Apple Inc.’s Siri, is suing Apple for patent infringement.
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If successful, the lawsuit could prevent the American tech giant from selling many of its products in its most important market outside the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal (you’ll need a subscription to read the entire article). The Shanghai company (also known as Xiao-i) wants 10 billion yuan (approximately $1.43 billion) in damages. The company also wants Apple to cease “manufacturing, using, promising to sell, selling, and importing” all products that it says infringe on the patent.
This isn’t the first dust-up between the American and Shanghai companies. In 2012, Network Technology claimed that Siri, Apple’s voice-activated “personal assistant,” rips off their Xia i Robot voice technology. Apple won that battle.