State-owned film studio sues Apple for 'selling unauthorised movies'
State-owned firm claims the US giant sold movies without authorisation
A state-owned Shanghai animation film studio has sued Apple in a Beijing court, seeking compensation of 3.3 million yuan (HK$4.08 million), alleging the US company sold its movies without approval.
The litigation - coupled with another case to be heard by a Shanghai court, involving a voice-recognition software patent - suggests Apple is struggling to preserve its image in the mammoth mainland market.
Shanghai Animation Film Studio, which has produced blockbuster animated movies such as , accuses Apple Inc and Apple Electronics Products Commerce (Beijing), one of its Chinese subsidiaries, of infringing on intellectual property rights while providing unauthorised download services in its App Store.
A senior official with the Shanghai company confirmed that it had filed the litigation with the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court, which accepted the case.
Apple said it would not comment or a make response to an ongoing litigation.
We want to keep tight-lipped on this case because, as we see it, it's just a litigation in which we want to get compensation
"We want to keep tight-lipped on this case because, as we see it, it's just a litigation in which we want to get compensation [for our product]," said an official from the Shanghai studio. "It's a sensitive period now since Apple is a big multinational company and it is surrounded by controversies on its practices in China."
