A group of Chinese authors have reportedly filed a lawsuit against Apple in Beijing claiming that the Cupertino company is infringing copyright with books sold through its iBookstore. The Chinese financial magazine Caixin reports that nine authors from the China Written Works Copyright Society (CWWCS) are involved in the suit, which is hoping to secure 11.9 million yuan ($1.9 million) in compensation.
The group has been pressing Apple for months to remove 37 copyright-infringing titles from its store, according to a Reuters report, the titles of which have not been disclosed.
The CWWCS are familiar with lawsuits against large companies, with its authors previously suing Google over its Google Books database, and the Chinese search engine Baidu for its own service.
But in this case, things are a little different. Rather than jumping straight into a lawsuit as it reportedly did with Google and Baidu, the CWWCS have given Apple the opportunity to remove the books first. With little success after several months, however, the group has decided to make this a legal issue.
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
8 responses to “Chinese Authors Sue Apple For $1.9 Million Over iBooks Copyright Violations [Report]”
Soooooo, who is getting the money from the book sales?
They need to sue the publisher of these books who gave Apple the license to sell them, not Apple themselves.
They need to sue the publisher of these books who gave Apple the license to sell them, not Apple themselves.
Apple should give them their money… as soon as Chinese companies pay Apple for all the intellectual property they are using (read: stealing) without paying royalties.
The chinese are suing us over copyright infringement…Am I the only one who sees the irony here?
When you’re on top everyone wants a piece. Let them pound rice.
Cry me a river, China…
It’s China. Does Apple really care?