“Few have probably heard about Digione, but one of the Chinese company’s latest products looks quite similar to the iPhone 6, and could potentially spark a patent dispute with Apple,” Michael Kan reports for Macworld. “The little-known Chinese smartphone maker revealed Monday it sent a letter to Apple in September, claiming that the iPhone 6 may infringe on a company-registered patent.”
“The patent in question covers a mobile phone design that features an exterior look very similar to the iPhone 6’s,” Kan reports. “Digione’s subsidiary applied for the patent in January and the company was granted the patent in July, according to China’s State Intellectual Property Office.”
Kan reports, “Unlike the iPhone 6, which starts at 5288 yuan (US$863) in China, Digione’s own smartphone under the 100+ brand is targeting the low end, with a starting price at 799 yuan.”
Yeah I’m sure Jonny Ives spends all his time looking for obscure Chinese phone brands to copy instead of the huge in-house R&D resources and resourcefulness of Apple and his own design talents. Thou flatters thyself too much.
It’s the rampant corruption of China and the judiciary. I’m sure that iPhone housings leaked well before the june/july patent filling date. This is a case of quick follower (stealer) copying an apple design before it’s been released (through rumour) and then extorting blockage of the phone in a very large and important market to Apple. Namely China.
The Government, Regulatory & Judiciary quietly go along for the ride, because they can and the system is corrupt. The whole country attempts to extort foreign companies for the privilege of operating there, and they know they can do it.
They’ll be sorry when Apple replaces ALL their overseas manufacturing jobs with US robots. That’s how Apple needs to spend its cash hoard. Stop relying on other parties, especially companies that obviously don’t give a fuck about privacy of unreleased products.
Apple will have to run it’s own companies in USA then because the management of USA firms like GTAT (the sapphire guys) leave much to be desired as well.
Worth noting that the article says the patent request was filed in January, not June/July. I don’t recall when the first housing rumors began, but I don’t think it was quite that early.
The patent was approved July 9th, 2014 (filed Jan 13th, 2014)
…but the casing was already making the rumour rounds in February, and could have been directly leaked to friendly compatriots earlier than that since schematics would have been available and top dollar would have been paid for the chance to exert extortion. http://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/12/alleged-iphone-6-prototype/
Chinese manufacturers and members of the ruling communist party love to steal, extort, and rubber stamp their activities if it means they can make $$$
What bunch of malarky, B.S.! Look at the edges of the iPhone versus the piece of crap Android. Not even close to the same design. Inside is totally different and the controls are totally different. Go pedal your B.S. somewhere else! The only similarity is the curved shape. Not an infringement at all since there are many model phones from China and elsewhere already with that same shape and size.
I guess they can now use the same argument Apple lawyers used against Samsung and ask Apple lawyers this time round. Basically can the layperson standing a few feet away tell the difference between the devices?
The opening sentence of this letter suggests that Apple is pressing its patent claims on the Chinese manufacturer and that this is simply a ploy to counter Apple’s claims.
As we already know, patent law is a shambles – but a lucrative avenue for lawyers everywhere.
Uh! I can feel Jony’s shame while everyone, now, knows what he did!
This is very bad!
lol (hey! Joking of course!)
Picture of Jony Ive after reading this story:
Yeah I’m sure Jonny Ives spends all his time looking for obscure Chinese phone brands to copy instead of the huge in-house R&D resources and resourcefulness of Apple and his own design talents. Thou flatters thyself too much.
Flatterest. 😉
“flatters thyself”… to “Flatterest”… to Flatulent!
No. It should be “thou flattereth thyself”. Thuffering thuccotash!
Make that thuccotathh!
The pot calls the kettle black.
Pictures at 11 PM.
It’s not a marketing ploy…
It’s the rampant corruption of China and the judiciary. I’m sure that iPhone housings leaked well before the june/july patent filling date. This is a case of quick follower (stealer) copying an apple design before it’s been released (through rumour) and then extorting blockage of the phone in a very large and important market to Apple. Namely China.
The Government, Regulatory & Judiciary quietly go along for the ride, because they can and the system is corrupt. The whole country attempts to extort foreign companies for the privilege of operating there, and they know they can do it.
Bringing thievery to a whole new level.
They’ll be sorry when Apple replaces ALL their overseas manufacturing jobs with US robots. That’s how Apple needs to spend its cash hoard. Stop relying on other parties, especially companies that obviously don’t give a fuck about privacy of unreleased products.
Apple will have to run it’s own companies in USA then because the management of USA firms like GTAT (the sapphire guys) leave much to be desired as well.
Worth noting that the article says the patent request was filed in January, not June/July. I don’t recall when the first housing rumors began, but I don’t think it was quite that early.
Yes, you are correct. It is worth noting.
The patent was approved July 9th, 2014 (filed Jan 13th, 2014)
…but the casing was already making the rumour rounds in February, and could have been directly leaked to friendly compatriots earlier than that since schematics would have been available and top dollar would have been paid for the chance to exert extortion.
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/12/alleged-iphone-6-prototype/
Chinese manufacturers and members of the ruling communist party love to steal, extort, and rubber stamp their activities if it means they can make $$$
Apple could definitely invest more in production robots hopefully stationed in Protected non corrupt on all levels nontrustworthy nations.
How infuriating that they even think their design comes close to Apple’s product. What an embarrassment.
They think that cheap TRACPhone is the equal to a iPhone ???
and how old is this patent? The new iPhone 6 & 6+, are basic enlargements of, with a lessening of thickness, several of past iterations of the iPhone.
They’re patenting rounded corners!!! How dare they!
The design pedigree of the Apple iPhone 6 is all previous iPhones. Let’s see this company’s smartphone designs going all the way back to that time.
In China, real can become fake, fake can become real.
What’s the chinese for chutzpah?
China just reported as becoming _more_ corrupt in latest http://www.transparency.org/cpi2014/results index.
It looks like a blatant copy of an Android phone. Samsung should sue.
amazing how the one on the right manages to look like a piece of garbage by getting the tiniest details wrong.
What bunch of malarky, B.S.! Look at the edges of the iPhone versus the piece of crap Android. Not even close to the same design. Inside is totally different and the controls are totally different. Go pedal your B.S. somewhere else! The only similarity is the curved shape. Not an infringement at all since there are many model phones from China and elsewhere already with that same shape and size.
I guess they can now use the same argument Apple lawyers used against Samsung and ask Apple lawyers this time round. Basically can the layperson standing a few feet away tell the difference between the devices?
Apple’s quick reply, go fly a kite!
It’s a marketing ploy to get Chinese to think that Apple is not original and for Chinese buyers to feel proud of it!
Lol really this experts in copycat everything in the world now accusing
A Ives please.
Hard do business with this people.
This thing looks more like an iPhone 5c than it looks like an iPhone 6.
The opening sentence of this letter suggests that Apple is pressing its patent claims on the Chinese manufacturer and that this is simply a ploy to counter Apple’s claims.
As we already know, patent law is a shambles – but a lucrative avenue for lawyers everywhere.
Lol poor mentally dam Chinese
As early as the first of August, Goophone 6 was available for order in China with announcements in late June, IIRC.
It was the spitting image of the later released iPhone 6 . . . which showed that the design of the iPhone 6 was kicking around China way before that.
You can see what I am talking about at this link:
GooPhone i6 iPhone 6 Clone “