Chinese pirates beware: Apple has more patents and it knows how to use them. China granted the tech giant 40 patents covering the iPad, iPhone and even its retail stores. Long bedeviled by faux iPhones and retail location ripoffs, the Cupertino, Calif. company now has legal protection for its popular products.
The patents could have a number of uses. Chinese version of the iPhone 5 began appearing although the next-generation handset has not been officially released. The patents covering 37 products could also help Apple protect the iPad 2 3G, which began selling in the Asian nation Wednesday. Also, the new intellectual property protections could prevent a reoccurrence of fake Apple Stores appearing. The patents cover Apple store architecture, according to Reuters.
Finally, the China patents are bound to bolster Apple’s courtroom battles against rivals. Along with South Korea’s Samsung, the iPhone maker is being sued by Android handset designer HTC at the International Trade Commission and in a Delaware federal court. Wednesday, Jack Tong, president of HTC’s North Asia operations, expressed confidence the courts will decide in his company’s favor. “We have no question that HTC will definitely win,” Tong told reporters.
Not coincidentally, the patents HTC claims Apple infringed come from Google and were part of the stash the Android promoter acquired when it bought Motorola. Which gets us back to the important role both patents and China will play in Apple’s future and the continuing struggle to control the mobile market.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
8 responses to “Apple Gains China Patents Against Pirates and Fake Retailers”
China is going to be a giant boom market for Apple.Â
I do not believe that I’ve ever heard of a case where a Chinese Court actually took action against an Infringer. Isn’t China like the Wild West when it comes to Intellectual Properties?
I do not believe that I’ve ever heard of a case where a Chinese Court actually took action against an Infringer. Isn’t China like the Wild West when it comes to Intellectual Properties?
Bribes to Provincial/Local officials from counterfeiters trump patents. Welcome to Chinese capitalism.
Still can’t believe it I just got a $827.89 iPad2 for only $103.37 and my mom got a $1499.99 HTV for only $251.92, they are both coming with USPS tomorrow. I would be an idiot to ever pay full retail prĂ®ces at places like Walmart or Bestbuy. I sold a 37″ HTV to my boss for $600 that I only paid $78.24 for. I use http://jmb.tw/52bf