Apple is no stranger to lawsuits especially in China where they have faced off against other Chinese companies in the past. However it looks like Apple will be taking things to the next level as the Cupertino company will not only be suing a Chinese company by the name of Zhizhen Network Technology, but they will also be going after China’s State Intellectual Property Office. The reason is over Apple’s Siri feature in which Apple and Zhizhen had a dispute over. For those unfamiliar, back in 2013 the Chinese company sued Apple over Siri, claiming that the software copied their technology which is found on their Xiao I Robot.
According to the patent filing, it would seem that is indeed the case as Zhizhen’s patent was filed in 2004, many years before Siri was even introduced to iOS. Apple had asked the patent office invalidate the patent to which they refused, which is why Apple has decided to include them in the mix in their lawsuit as well. A hearing of Zhizhen’s case was done back in July last year but no ruling was made, suggesting that it might be a while before we hearing anything. This new lawsuit will be heard on Thursday by the Beijing Number One Intermediate People’s Court. Will Apple prove successful even in the face of suing a government agency? We guess we will have to wait and find out.