“Beijing’s intellectual property regulator has ordered Apple Inc. to stop sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the city, ruling that the design is too similar to a Chinese phone, in another setback for the company in a key overseas market,” Eva Dou reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“Some mobile-phone stores in the city said they had already stopped selling the two models months ago, switching to newer models. Apple will soon end production of both models, according to a person familiar with the production plans,” Dou reports. “The two iPhone models infringe on a Chinese patent for exterior design held by Shenzhen Baili for its 100C smartphone, the Beijing Intellectual Property Bureau wrote in a statement on its website dated May 19.”
Dou reports, “Apple has the option to appeal the ruling to a higher court, according to Chinese law.”
MacDailyNews Take: This is simply a stupid ruling that needs to be overturned. Now, according to Fortune, Apple has already appealed the ruling to a higher court, which supposedly allows it to continue selling the iPhone 6/Plus until that court makes its ruling. Hey, this is China. As usual, nobody knows what’s going on exactly. It is ironic that every single Apple iPhone ever has been mercilessly knocked off by Chinese copiers with impunity, but Apple gets crap like this.
UPDATE 9:45am EDT: CNBC is reporting that Apple has immediately appealed the ruling and that all of the company’s products are still for sale throughout the country.
The only interesting thing here is that China has an “intellectual property regulator” trying to drum up local enforcement; we all just assumed he was the guy in charge of China’s state sponsored theft of anyone and everyone else’s IP.
nothing has changed in china. opportunists at every turn. calculating and conspiring opportunists. i wish apple would do no manufacturing there at all. this is modern china …an entire nation of thieves ..from cd’s to dvd’s to cyber theft to tibet …now they’re trying to threaten us all with their military expansion. i have no respect whatsoever for this people.
Fine. USA should simply tell China that they can no longer sell any stuff to the USA until this issue is resolved. And let’s add having China stop its imperialistic expansion in the South China Sea on the table while we are at it, too.
Let me laugh! China is just trying to do as USA did for decades… So, please, don’t go screaming about “imperialism” before everyone sweeps first in front its own door.
In any reasonable courtroom, Apple would be able to demonstrate the heritage of it’s designs and how each iteration has developed from themes from their own previous previous devices.
Knock-off devices do not have any such heritage, they appear fully formed, looking nothing like an previous offering by that company, but looking very much like the market-leading product.
I think that it would be interesting to research previous devices by Bali and see what they look like.
Unfortunately, this is what the USA gets for the failure of Judge Lucy Koh and others at the Ninth District Court to uphold Apple’s Intellectual & Design Property rights against Samsung in the first place. It emboldens so many others here and around the world. The potential payoff is huge and the costs are low. Hey, it beats playing the lottery. Just steal an American company’s IP and claim it as your own, then win the case in court. Decisions & actions have consequences. You can trace the namby pamby Koh court case as the root cause of this sort of farce. It is a disgrace.
You are wrong old wise one. While Apple products are still for sale pending appeal, the ban is still in effect, and iTunes is still blocked and iBooks is still blocked. China is strongly bitch slapping Apple and it appears they have not finished. Apple thought tossing the communists a billion dollars through the fake investment in the ride sharing company would placate them. Nope. Apple may have to relocate to China. Ha!
The thing is as designs get simplified and more streamlined it is getting to a point that they are becoming ever more just rectangles with rounded corners. The main differences being the materials and perhaps positioning of the camera/buttons and antennas. Obviously the Apple design is far more accomplished, but how do you quantify these differences? Does everything have to be identical to the mm? If not what would stop people ripping off everything Apple did? It’s clear that Apple won’t have ripped off this company, but it does highlight how tricky this all is to regulate.
It’s time to leave china. This is ridiculous. It’s time to built subsystem parts and assemble hardware in much more stable IP parts of the world. Then continually sue china and it’s manufacturers for this clear thieving of IP and design.
As I’ve said before, this is why apple should not be going into debt. You never know when you will have to leave a market. (for whatever reason) Apple needs to afford chip manufacturing, assembly, display building… the best place for that is the US.
Tear down the FUD
The only interesting thing here is that China has an “intellectual property regulator” trying to drum up local enforcement; we all just assumed he was the guy in charge of China’s state sponsored theft of anyone and everyone else’s IP.
nothing has changed in china. opportunists at every turn. calculating and conspiring opportunists. i wish apple would do no manufacturing there at all. this is modern china …an entire nation of thieves ..from cd’s to dvd’s to cyber theft to tibet …now they’re trying to threaten us all with their military expansion. i have no respect whatsoever for this people.
Fine. USA should simply tell China that they can no longer sell any stuff to the USA until this issue is resolved. And let’s add having China stop its imperialistic expansion in the South China Sea on the table while we are at it, too.
Being a jerk worksWorks both ways…
USA is too busy squezing Apple on every front because of its uncompromising user privacy stand and lack of FBI,NSA, CIA cooperation.
Time for the American consumer to appreciate and stand up for Apple, the true conumer rights wordwide champion!
Then Foxconn says “we will no longer manufacture your iPhones.” It’s just not that simple. Knee jerk responses aren’t helpful.
Let me laugh! China is just trying to do as USA did for decades… So, please, don’t go screaming about “imperialism” before everyone sweeps first in front its own door.
In any reasonable courtroom, Apple would be able to demonstrate the heritage of it’s designs and how each iteration has developed from themes from their own previous previous devices.
Knock-off devices do not have any such heritage, they appear fully formed, looking nothing like an previous offering by that company, but looking very much like the market-leading product.
I think that it would be interesting to research previous devices by Bali and see what they look like.
Unfortunately, this is what the USA gets for the failure of Judge Lucy Koh and others at the Ninth District Court to uphold Apple’s Intellectual & Design Property rights against Samsung in the first place. It emboldens so many others here and around the world. The potential payoff is huge and the costs are low. Hey, it beats playing the lottery. Just steal an American company’s IP and claim it as your own, then win the case in court. Decisions & actions have consequences. You can trace the namby pamby Koh court case as the root cause of this sort of farce. It is a disgrace.
In a country responsible for over 90% of the counterfeit goods in the world, their court rules an outside company is in the wrong?
You couldn’t make his up
Their website is chicken scratch. They say they have 4500 sq ft of warehouses. My retail store is almost that big.
This report has already been DISQUALIFIED by Apple Hqts. on CNBC as of 0700 Cuppertino time…..!
VIVA la FUD…………appppppppppppppple is dooooooooooomed….
You are wrong old wise one. While Apple products are still for sale pending appeal, the ban is still in effect, and iTunes is still blocked and iBooks is still blocked. China is strongly bitch slapping Apple and it appears they have not finished. Apple thought tossing the communists a billion dollars through the fake investment in the ride sharing company would placate them. Nope. Apple may have to relocate to China. Ha!
The thing is as designs get simplified and more streamlined it is getting to a point that they are becoming ever more just rectangles with rounded corners. The main differences being the materials and perhaps positioning of the camera/buttons and antennas. Obviously the Apple design is far more accomplished, but how do you quantify these differences? Does everything have to be identical to the mm? If not what would stop people ripping off everything Apple did? It’s clear that Apple won’t have ripped off this company, but it does highlight how tricky this all is to regulate.
I knew 1 billion wasn’t enough. The commies want more.
I believe iTunes an iBooks are still blocked as well?
It’s time to leave china. This is ridiculous. It’s time to built subsystem parts and assemble hardware in much more stable IP parts of the world. Then continually sue china and it’s manufacturers for this clear thieving of IP and design.
As I’ve said before, this is why apple should not be going into debt. You never know when you will have to leave a market. (for whatever reason) Apple needs to afford chip manufacturing, assembly, display building… the best place for that is the US.
Yes, agree. India. And robotics in the USA.
The question remains…
Is crappy access to China better than none at all?
Does China care if Apple focuses on India and Brazil?
does someone know how to download cydia for my iphone running on ios 8.1.3?