It doesn’t get much funnier than a CEO, whose primary objective is to rip off Apple designs, complaining about Apple’s lawyers going to great lengths to protect their competitive advantage. It’s a different world in China, but I’d like to think that even Meizu CEO Jack Wong has some idea that intellectual property theft is illegal, and that Apple’s well within their rights to fight them on creating clones. It seems like Apple’s lawyers agree, as they have taken the company to task recently over the patent infringements. Here’s the money quote: Jack Wong has publicly complained about Apple’s “unreasonable negotiating tactics.”
Just because the Chinese government unofficially endorses IP theft through lax laws, and even poorer enforcement of those laws, it doesn’t mean that Apple’s going to let it slide.
We might be a little bit harsh on Meizu here, considering Android handset makers have been just as guilty as Meizu in both the software and hardware designs, but there’s no doubt that Meizu has been trying to copy Apple’s patents every chance they get.
If you created something original, this wouldn’t be a problem Jack.
It also sounds like Apple has managed to halt the creation of the M8 Meizu phone, through the “Chinese state Intellectual Property Office.” According to claims, the M8 looks too similar to the iPhone, and Apple’s moving to not only stop the creation of the device, but also have all marketing materials and displays showing off the M8 phone destroyed. There’s also some rumours that factories could be closed entirely, but Meizu has the support of the local Zhuhai government, so it could be a long fight.
