Qihoo 360 wins lawsuit at second attempt

A leading Chinese online search engine failed in a lawsuit after it released users' information, said Beijing Intellectual Property Court on Wednesday.

In November 2013, search engine Sogou Inc was reported to have released some information of its users, including bank accounts, through loopholes on its Web pages, according to the court.

The report, made by Qihoo 360, China's largest security software provider, submitted to the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team and Coordination Center, according to the security enterprise.

But Sogou denied its loopholes and said it was a rumor created by Qihoo 360.

On that occasion, Sogou sued Qihoo 360 in Beijing's Haidian District People's Court, claiming it was Qihoo 360's unfair competition, and it won a victory at the initial hearing.

Qihoo 360 appealed to the Intellectual Property Court and won its lawsuit on Tuesday.

The Intellectual Property Court said evidence provided by Qihoo 360 could prove Sogou's loopholes had stolen users' information, as thieves could see online records Sogou's users, such as websites and passwords.

In this way, the report made by Qihoo 360 was effective and should be supported, the court said.