iPhone 5: Chinese company may sue Apple

It may still be few days for Apple's next-generation iPhone unveiling, however, the much-awaited phone is already facing lawsuit threat in China.

In a video, a Chinese company called Goophone has vowed to not allow iPhone 5 to enter Chinese market if the upcoming iPhone 5 looks similar to its recently-launched Goophone I5. Incidentally, Goophone 5 phone appears to have been modelled by the company as per the speculations on the internet about the next iPhone's design. The company reportedly also plans to apply for a patent for its design in China.


In China, designs are patented on first-come-first-serve basis. Hence, the manufacturer has the first right over the design and can lawfully sue the Cupertino-based giant if iPhone 5 resembles its phone in appearance.

The Goophone I5 has a 4-inch screen, which the next edition of the Apple iPhone is expected to have as well. It also features a smaller dock connector, headphone jack at the bottom and a 1.4GHz quad-core processor with 1GB RAM. However, instead of the Apple iOS, the phone runs, ironically, on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). On the back, the phone has a honeybee emblem rather than the iconic bitten apple logo of Apple. Goophone also sells knockoffs of other popular smartphones, such as the Galaxy S III.

This potential lawsuit over the design of the device in China can be a problem for Apple as the country is a huge market for its products. A court case over the patented design will push back the launch date for the upcoming iPhone 5 in China, which can hurt sales quite a bit.

A few months ago, the iPhone maker was forced to shell out $60 million to a Chinese company called Proview over the 'iPad' brand. It had trademarked the iPad name in the country and held exclusive rights to use it, thus denying Apple the opportunity to launch it until it received compensation.

Source : timesofindia