The Baili 100C (Photo : Twitter)
In what is seen as a surprising threat to its continued presence in China, global tech giant Apple Inc. was found by Chinese intellectual property authorities to have infringed on the patents of a local rival.
The decision, promulgated by the Beijing Intellectual Property Office, declared that Apple has infringed the patent of local smartphone manufacturer Shenzen Baili for the design of the former's popular iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models. The office said that the two phone models in question bear a striking resemblance to the latter's 100C model, prompting the decision, BBC reported.
In its argument, Baili noted that its little-known 100C phone went on sale in China in April 2014, while the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus entered the same market only in the fall of that year.
According to analysts, the office's decision could theoretically be used to stop the sale of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Also, while the decision was made in Beijing, it could possibly be used as a precedence by other offices for similar cases.
However, experts also said that it is unlikely to have any real impact on Apple's hold on the market. New York-based market analyst Tim Long said that that there have already been several cases where local courts ruled against foreign companies in favor of domestic ones, but were eventually overturned by the higher courts, Bloomberg reported.
The ruling is the latest in a string of losses that have hit Apple's services in China. In April, authorities blocked its iBooks and iTunes Movies services for allegedly violating the regulations set for foreign publishing.
In May, the company lost a case for its "iPhone" trademark when a Beijing court ruled that a local company can also use the same name for its line of wallets and purses.
Apple said that they have appealed the ruling for its current case and added that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are still available in the country.
