Chinese court says Apple isn’t guilty of Siri patent infringement, overturns previous ruling

siri ios 7

“Siri, how does it feel to be a winner?”

A Chinese appeals court has put an end to a three year patent battle over Apple’s Siri voice recognition found on its iOS line. AFP reports that Apple has won an appeal in China over the patents, overturning an earlier decision that put Apple in the guilty chair.

Shanghai-based Zhizhen Network Technology sued Apple in 2012 for allegedly infringing on patents when the iPhone 4S was released in 2011, claiming its “Xiao i Robot” worked in a similar way. Apple attempted to have the patent invalidated, which was turned down.

“The move means Apple’s Siri voice recognition system did not infringe the protected rights of other patents and Apple fans can continue enjoying the conveniences brought by the technology,” the court said in a statement on Tuesday.

Siri allows users to use their voice and get answers to questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Web services.

This isn’t Apple’s first legal battle in China. In a high-profile case, Apple was ordered to pay $60 million to Proview over an iPad trademark.

Source: AFP News