“A state-owned Shanghai animation film studio has sued Apple in a Beijing court, seeking compensation of 3.3 million yuan (HK$4.08 million), alleging the US company sold its movies without approval,” Daniel Ren reports for The South China Morning Post.
“Shanghai Animation Film Studio, which has produced blockbuster animated movies such as The Monkey King, accuses Apple Inc and Apple Electronics Products Commerce (Beijing), one of its Chinese subsidiaries, of infringing on intellectual property rights while providing unauthorised download services in its App Store,” Ren reports. “A senior official with the Shanghai company confirmed that it had filed the litigation with the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People’s Court, which accepted the case.”
Ren reports, “‘The cases are not good signs,’ said Dong Jun, an iPhone owner. ‘They convinced me of quitting Apple products later now that my phone has quality problems.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: So, is “Dong Jun” part of China’s government, mentally deficient, or was he looking down the barrel of a gun when he excreted that quote?
Regardless, the squeeze is still on. What did Apple do? Nothing. Why is this happening? Look no further than:
• U.S. House Intelligence Committee’s attack on China’s Huawei, ZTE could trigger major crisis – October 10, 2012
• U.S. House Intelligence Committee: China’s Huawei, ZTE should be banned in U.S. – October 8, 2012
Related articles:
Chinese regulator calls for tighter supervision of Apple – March 28, 2013
Popularity buffers Apple Inc. from state-run media attacks – March 28, 2013
Apple and China seem made for each other, so why is China attacking Apple? – March 28, 2013
Manufactured Apple ire shows up for real against China’s state-owned monopolies – March 27, 2013
China slams Apple’s ‘empty and self-praising’ response to warranty complaints – March 26, 2013
What’s really behind China’s attacks on Apple and Android? – March 20, 2013
Chinese media attack on Apple exposed; backfires badly – March 19, 2013
Prominent Weibo users, Samsung spokesman paid to bash Apple – March 17, 2013
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Google controls too much of Chinese smartphone sector – March 5, 2013
Wow, nonstop battering. Almost as bad as NYT.
Great…another case of a Chinese subsidiary having uncertain legal standing with respect to IP whenever the parent company (Chinese government) chooses to assert dominance. This crap has to stop.
Can India manufacture iPhones and iPads?
This being a retaliation against the US going after ZTE and Huwei it looks like Apple is just a proxy. Interestingly there seems to be widespread love and support for Apple in China and there’s a push back when the state goes after the company.
Ultimately, the state is more important than the citizen in Red China. It’s time for Apple to look elsewhere for manufacturing. Tit for tat.
Unfortunately we know how the Chinese government deals with popular resistance… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989
That’s rich. Coming from a country that has no respect for intellectual property.
I still like the idea of Apple buying Cyprus and employing the entire country making Apple products.
I’m sure there are no pirated CDs of these movies and they aren’t in the Android store? Right? This is the country where 90 % of Windows OS is pirated and nearly all US movies.
HHmmmmmmm I’ll bet Dong Jun’s iPhone quality problems ‘started’ during the CCTV fubar fiasco
Isn’t it the rights holders that put the movies up for sale on iTunes?
Did anyone not see any retaliation over the ZTE matter? Maybe this is not ALL retaliation for the ZTE matter, maybe a little bribery, but ZTE is what sent them over. The US lay a little blame here over paranoia.
Aside from retaliation, another probable cause of attacking Apple is diversionary policy of Chinese government. China’s leader instigates attack in order to distract its population from their own domestic strife such as dead pig dumped into river of Shanghai’s water supply, poisoned food, etc.
You think they are copying Kim jun un?
Perhaps there was also just a wee bit of financial aid to well placed government employees coming from Samsung.
And the winner is . . . Brazil.
USA factories? Bring on the robot factories with no lights on inside.
It’s just the Commies being Commies. It’s not exactly a democracy over there you know. Bad people doing bad things to everyone they can. Apple makes a great big fat target. Apple has deep, deep pockets. What’s Apple going to Pull their manufacturing overnight? Quit selling Apple products in China where the biggest percentage of their profits are generated? It’s called leverage. And the Commies are exercising that leverage.
The dying gasps of a corrupt regime… The Chinese people will continue to vote Apple with their wallets and laugh at the obvious lies of the government.
I pray you’re right.
Really? Divine intervention?
I live in China and you guys are nuts. Apple products are pretty junky and the whole “intellectual property” thing is ridiculous garbage. You keep sending two-faced Hillary around the world lecturing everyone else on earth and you’ll end up alone in the basement. Idiots.
@jon – Does your ChiCom boss believe that Hillary Clinton is still the US secretary of state?
Okay jon b -what are you 12 years old – “Apple products are pretty junky”! no one believes that! – I know, you’re 12 and you live in your parents basement right? right! did I nail it people?
Search for that movie “The Monkey King” and you will not find it in the iTunes store. Apparently they will just make up stuff to get Apple in court, like that’s going to scare Apple or something.
It’s funny when Chinese companies sue. Suddenly they want others to respect rules and IP…
China state-owned WHATEVER sues Apple
Same old story, over and over and over…