Apple has handled a patent victory in China after Intellectual Property Court in Beijing reverse a past decision by the Beijing intellectual property bureau that Apple was in violation of patent held by Shenzhen Baili. Beijing Intellectual Property Bureau had decided in May 2016 that Apple was in beaching upon design patent held by Shenzhen Baili through its iPhone 6 handsets and had asked Apple to stop sales from the two handsets in China.
As per the claim, Apple "replicated" the exterior design of Baili's 100C mobile phone, which is distinguished by a curved edge and rounded corners. Apple requested or appealed against the administrative order and didn't stop to sell the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, according to TechCrunch
The Intellectual Property Court in Beijing on Friday decided in favor of Apple. The Court quashed the verdict of IP department expressing that Apple hasn't violated the design patent held by Shenzhen Baili. The Beijing court governed or ruled that the iPhone 6 had features that "totally change the impact of the whole product ... and both mobile phones are easily recognizable according to customers" and said that Baili's case was without legal bases, MacRumors cited.
When it went up against Apple in December 2014, Baili was a promising electronic firm, sponsored by web giant Baidu and anxious to tap the telecoms boom. But, since then the company has breakdown, hit by open feedback or criticism of its items seen as low quality and more so by China's ultra-competitive mobile phone market which has seen many new businesses go down.
Indeed, even Apple is under pressure. While China, alongside Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, remains its second biggest market after the US, the Cupertino-based company saw its turnover in this "Greater China" area fall 12 percent in the last quarter of 2016.
Apple's market share has collapsed in mainland China, falling behind nearby contenders, like telecoms giant Huawei, newcomers Oppo and Vivo, and "internet of things" pioneer Xiaomi.
Apple has already had intellectual property issues in China. In May 2016 a creator of "iphone" branded leather goods won a case filed by Apple as the court ruled Xintong Tiandi had registered the word as a trademark in 2007, while Apple mobile phones did not formally go on sale in China until 2009.
