Chinese Company Sues Apple over Siri Patent Infringement

Zhizhen Network Technology has filed a lawsuit against Apple AAPL for infringing on one of the company's patents. According to China Business News, the patent in question describes a "type of instant messaging chat bot system," similar to Siri, Apple's digital voice assistant. Zhizhen's patent was filed on August 13, 2004, and was approved on February 15, 2006. Zhizhen attempted to resolve this dispute through mediation. However, when its lawyers sent a legal notice to Apple last May, Zhizhen did not receive a response. This is the third legal dispute Apple has faced in China this summer. Last weekend it was revealed that Apple paid $60 million to settle a trademark dispute with Proview, which previously owned the iPad name. On Tuesday, Jiangsu Xeubao sued Apple over its use of the Snow Leopard trademark. Four years ago, Apple was sued by a Chinese man, Cai Yaohua, who owned a patent for a "smart audio server." According to Want China Times, Yaohua claimed that audio features within the iPod infringed on his patent. Apple rejected Yaohua's request for a $6 million settlement and applied to China's State Intellectual Property Office, which ruled that Yaohua's patent was invalid. The dispute with Zhizhen, however, may not be so easily resolved. A source within the court system confirmed to China Business News that the new lawsuit is currently in pre-trial negotiations. Zhizhen is not currently seeking compensation, but a company representative told the Chinese publication if the court rules against Apple, "the amount of compensation will likely exceed the [$60 million] settlement in Apple's recent iPad trademark dispute." While Apple has not publicly commented on the suit, the Mac maker seems to be taking action. According to Giz China, Apple has removed text from its Chinese website that is similar to the promotional copy used to describe Zhizhen's technology. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ