Apple faces new infringement lawsuit in China over Siri

Sydney, July 9 (ANI): A Chinese technology firm has filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that iPhone's Siri voice recognition software infringes one of its patents.

Shanghai-based Zhizhen Network Technology Co Ltd patented its Xiao i Robot software in 2004, while Apple's Siri, which made its debut with the release of the iPhone 4S last year, was first developed in 2007.

Zhizhen's version operates in a similar way to Apple's personal assistant and works on the iOS and Android operating systems.

Si Weijiang, a lawyer acting for Zhizhen, said it had tried to contact Apple two months ago over the alleged infringement but received no response.

"We sent legal notices to Apple in May, but no one contacted us. We filed the lawsuit in late June to the Shanghai number one intermediate people's court," The Herald Sun quoted Weijiang, as saying,

"Currently the case is now at the court-mediated stage. We mainly ask Apple to stop infringing on our patent and cover the court costs, but once the court confirms Apple has infringed on our patent, we will propose compensation," he added.

The lawsuit comes just days after Apple paid 60 million dollars to settle a long-running legal battle with Chinese computer maker Shenzhen Proview Technology over the iPad name.

According to the report, Apple was also facing legal action from another Chinese company for allegedly infringing its 'Snow Leopard' trademark. (ANI)