Encyclopedia of China claims Apple profited from others' piracy

Beijing's Second Intermediate People’s Court has sided with the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House in a lawsuit against Apple over App Store piracy, according to the Beijing Times. The EoC originally filed its case in 2010, noting that apps being sold through the App Store contained pirated versions of its encyclopedia. Apple maintained the position that it had no involvement in developing the apps, but this week the court ruled that Apple had responsibility, as it both approved the apps for sale and pulled in profit from them. The company claims a 30 percent cut from any paid app.

The EoC originally requested a penalty of RMB 530,000 for Apple, equivalent to about $84,200 US. On Thursday though the court's verdict awarded the publisher RMB 520,000, or around $82,600.

A similar case filed by nine Chinese writers is still ongoing. The writers likewise say that Apple has profited by allowing pirated versions of their work to appear on the App Store; one difference, though, is that the writers are asking for a much higher $3.65 million in damages. The amount is in fact an increase over original demands, prompted by the discovery of 26 more allegedly infringing apps.

By Electronista Staff

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industry, China, lawsuits, App Store, Apple