China's Redcore browser, which was touted to break the monopoly of Google's Chrome is apparently a clone of the latter.
Earlier in the month, Beijing-based Redcore raised a ¥250 million Yuan (approx. $36 million) funding from investors which also includes government-run agencies, as it claimed to have built a fully 'Made in China' browser. It became a toast of the communist country, but the joy was short-lived, as an online user published evidence of Redcore browser's code was a rip-off of the Chrome.
Soon, it became a butt of jokes on social media platforms in China and across the world. When confronted with recent development, the Recode CEO and AllMobilize (parent company) founder Chen Benfeng came out clean that it did make use of the Chrome's kernel code to build the Redcore, as it would have taken several years to develop its own browser from scratch, reported the South China Morning Post.
However, he defended that every other browser company does the same just as the Google's Android is built on Linux open system and took the liberty to use Chrome, probably open source codes to build the Redcore web browser.
Benfeng said that Redcore has its own original codes that improve on the Chrome browser and also added the company is not trying to syphon off government funds, but regrets for boasting its false achievement.
As of now, there is no word whether the Chinese company has infringed upon Google's patented algorithm or not, but if it has, will face legal consequences.
With admittance by the CEO, Chinese companies once again come under the cloud for not being able to make original technological advancements and often re-engineer American products. Even smartphone makers are also sometimes called out copycats for ripping mobile design language from Apple and Samsung products.
