Apple Inc landed in Shanghai court to fight against a Chinese firm, claiming that it holds the rights to voice recognition software Siri. Moreover, the electronics giant's office in Paris underwent a 24-hour raid by France's competition watchdog.
This time Apple is booked for patent infringement dispute with Shanghai-based voice application developer, Zhizhen Network Technology.
Zhizhen Network alleged that Apple's Siri infringed the patent it holds through its 'Xiao i Robot' software, which is a type of 'instant messaging chat bot system.'
Siri, which was developed in 2007, was bought by Apple in 2010 and unveiled with iPhone 4S. Both the software technologies work to recognise a user's voice, with a difference being that Xiao also works for an Android system.
"The company will ask Apple to stop manufacturing and selling products using its patent rights, once Apple's infringement is confirmed," Si Weijiang, a lawyer representing Zhizhen, told AFP. "We don't exclude the possibility of demanding compensation in the future."
Zhizhen Network filed the complained last year with just a few days after Apple paid $60 million to Chinese computer maker Shenzhen Proview Technology to settle a dispute over the iPad trademark in China.
Apple seems to be dealing with another infringement case against Jiangsu Xuebao Daily Chemical Co Ltd. The company had alleged that the Chinese translation of Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard infringed its trademark rights.
France Competition Authority searches Apple France offices
In another continent last week, the French Competition Authority searched the premises of Apple France along with its major distributors and resellers in the country as part of an investigation into Apple's selling practices, as reported by a French newspaper.
An Apple reseller in France, EBizcuss, filed a complaint last year alleging that Apple favoured deliveries of iPad tablets and iPhones to its own stores and forced it into bankruptcy.
The Authority also investigated the way Apple sells products on its App Store where customers can buy everything from magazines to video games, the report said.
