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.
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.
