China: iPhone 6 Sales Under IP Threat

A Chinese regulator has ordered Apple Inc. to stop selling two versions of its iPhone 6 in Beijing after finding they look too much like a competitor, but Apple says sales are going ahead while it appeals.

Apple’s been ordered to stop selling two versions of its iPhone in Beijing after an intellectual property tribunal ruled the phones look too much like a competitor.

The order said the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus looked too much like the 100C model made by Shenzhen Beili, a small Chinese brand.

The order was issued in May, but Chinese press didn’t report on it until this week.

This is the latest legal stumbling block for Apple in its second-biggest global market.

In April, Apple suspended its iBooks and iTunes Movies services…news reports said that was due to an order by Chinese regulators.

“However, Apple has appealed the order to halt iPhones sales, and said in a statement, “As a result, the order has been stayed pending review by the Beijing IP (intellectual property) court.”

Apple said that during the appeal process, its iPhones, including the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone SE, as well as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, “are all available for sale today in China.”

Full Content: Forbes

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