Mobike, China's leading bike-sharing service provider, has been sued for patent infringement - an intellectual property (IP) controversy.
Shenzhen-based digital-lock developer Lingling Kaimen accused Beijing Mobike Technology Co. Ltd. of infringing the IP rights of the cellphone-lock technology it owns, and asked the Beijing Intellectual Property Court for damages, Lingling said in a statement on Monday.
Launched in 2016, Mobike allows users to locate its orange and silver bikes through its smartphone app and unlock them by scanning a QR code on the bicycle's frame. The lock, activated via phones, is a key feature of the service.
Beijing Intellectual Property Court took up the case on March 7, according to the Lingling statement.
"We believe this case is without merit, and we are confident that the legal process will bear this out," Mobike said in a statement."Mobike has always vigorously supported the importance of intellectual property rights," it said.
The bike firm is seeking patents for 15 inventions, including locks, bike frames and engines, but none of them has been officially granted a patent, according to the State Intellectual Property Office, China's patent authority.
The case might end up influencing Mobike's operations, which have hundreds of thousands of bicycles in 24 cities in China.
As the defendant, Mobike could still win the case if it proves the patent the plaintiff owns has no significant creativity, said Chang Junhu, a patent attorney with Beijing Chofn IP Agency.
Patents have always been important assets of companies, especially technology firms, Chang said.
China is also working on improving the current patent law by including business models and solutions with âtechnical characteristicsâ as potential patent grantees. The new rule will take effect on April 1.
Mobike, China's leading bike-sharing service provider, has been sued for patent infringement - an intellectual property (IP) controversy.
