14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re really bored and have nothing better to do, you can sue Apple for virtually anything that upsets you because this seems to become some sort of trend in countries like China.
After a handbag and purse manufacturer sued Apple over the iPhone trademark (and won!), the company is once again sent to court, this time, by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT), which is pretty much the governing body in China when it comes to everything media.
For context, this is the same organization that banned Apple’s iBooks Store and iTunes earlier this year in China, but this time, they’re only looking for financial compensation after Apple has caused what they claim to be “huge losses.”
Specifically, the agency says that Apple provided access to Chinese users to a patriotic film that they own the exclusive online broadcast rights for, so they now expect damages of about 50,000 yuan (that’s about $7,500).
Apple could very well settle the dispute, just for the sake of time
As Shanghaiist writes, the “very obscure patriotic film” is called “Xuebo Dixiao,” which translates to “Bloody Fight with Our Brave Enemies.” It was filmed in 1994 and tells the story of a Chinese doctor who wants to open a hospital in the country but has to deal with Japanese forces.
What’s interesting, however, is that the movie is already available for free online, but anyway, the agency claims that Apple has violated its rights. How exactly? In a very uncanny way.
It appears that an app called Youku HD is available for download in Apple’s app store. Youku is currently one of the largest video sharing services in China and is often considered to be the local version of YouTube. The video was posted on Youku, so with the app published in Apple’s store, users could watch it without paying.
Certainly, that makes little sense, but we’re kind of getting used to seeing Apple sued for all kinds of things, so we won’t be too surprised if the company decides to settle this dispute by simply paying the $7,500 in damages. After all, the only thing it has to do is to sell some 7 or 8 iPhone 6s Plus to raise the money for this.