Animation studio sues Apple for infringing IPR

A well-known Shanghai-based film studio has taken Apple Inc and one of its Chinese companies to court for selling its animation movies in Apple's online store without approval and providing unauthorized download services for iPhone and iPad users.

Shanghai Animation Film Studio demanded 3.3 million yuan ($530,000) in compensation from Apple Inc and Apple Electronics Products Commerce (Beijing) Co for selling 110 movies it made, including Calabash Brothers and Black Cat Detective, without approval, the Legal Evening News reported on March 27.

The studio, which enjoys international fame for its animation works such as The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven and Three Monks, said it found the unauthorized moves by Apple in July and claimed the two companies have infringed its rights to network dissemination of information.

The Beijing Second Intermediate People's Court has accepted the case.

Earlier, a Chinese court ruled in favor of a number of Chinese companies and writers, and fined Apple hundreds of thousands of yuan in each case for infringing intellectual property rights.