Apple launched the case against the State Intellectual Property Office, which is in charge of patent rights protection in China, and Shanghai's Zhizhen Network Technology, which developed software similar to Siri, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.
The US company previously asked the State Intellectual Property Office to declare Zhizhen's voice recognition patent invalid but the request was declined, prompting the legal action, it said.
The Beijing Number one Intermediate People's Court will hear the case on Thursday, the report added.
Last year, Zhizhen itself accused the California-based technology giant of copying its ‘Xiao i Robot’ software, which it patented in 2004, to develop Siri.
The case was heard by a Shanghai court in July, state media have reported, but no ruling has been announced.
Siri, described by Apple as an ‘intelligent personal assistant’, made its debut with the release of the iPhone 4S in 2011 and responds to a user's commands through voice recognition software.
Zhizhen claims its product works in a similar way and has wide application in areas including telecommunications, finance and e-commerce.
Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said in January last year that he expected China to become his company's largest market, though he gave no timeframe.
Its revenue in Greater China — which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan —reached $5.7 billion for the fiscal quarter ending in September 2013, up 24 per cent from the previous quarter, according to the company.
Earlier, Apple had said that it will stage its first iTunes Festival in the United States during South by Southwest (SXSW) in Texas next month, with Coldplay, Imagine Dragons and Pitbull among the big names set to appear.
The 11-15 March event — set amid the annual music, film and interactive technology jamboree in Austin — builds upon the success of iTunes festivals that have become a regular live-music fixture in London since 2007.
Performances at the city’s Moody Theater — the venue of US public television’s long-running ‘Austin City Limits’ concert series — will be streamed live via Apple’s iTunes store as well as through a dedicated iTunes festival app.
While the full lineup of artists is pending, Apple said the bill would also include Australian-born country star Keith Urban and the Russian-German electro DJ Zedd.
‘The iTunes Festival in London has become an incredible way for Apple to share its love of music with our customers,’ said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services.
‘We’re excited about the incredible lineup of artists performing and SXSW is the perfect place to debut the first iTunes Festival in the United States,’ he said in a statement.
The announcement signals a higher profile for Apple during SXSW, which runs from 7 to 16 March with more than 1,200 bands so far scheduled to perform at venues around Austin.
The US company previously asked the State Intellectual Property Office to declare Zhizhen's voice recognition patent invalid but the request was declined, prompting the legal action, it said.
The Beijing Number one Intermediate People's Court will hear the case on Thursday, the report added.
Last year, Zhizhen itself accused the California-based technology giant of copying its ‘Xiao i Robot’ software, which it patented in 2004, to develop Siri.
The case was heard by a Shanghai court in July, state media have reported, but no ruling has been announced.
Siri, described by Apple as an ‘intelligent personal assistant’, made its debut with the release of the iPhone 4S in 2011 and responds to a user's commands through voice recognition software.
Zhizhen claims its product works in a similar way and has wide application in areas including telecommunications, finance and e-commerce.
Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said in January last year that he expected China to become his company's largest market, though he gave no timeframe.
Its revenue in Greater China — which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan —reached $5.7 billion for the fiscal quarter ending in September 2013, up 24 per cent from the previous quarter, according to the company.
Earlier, Apple had said that it will stage its first iTunes Festival in the United States during South by Southwest (SXSW) in Texas next month, with Coldplay, Imagine Dragons and Pitbull among the big names set to appear.
The 11-15 March event — set amid the annual music, film and interactive technology jamboree in Austin — builds upon the success of iTunes festivals that have become a regular live-music fixture in London since 2007.
Performances at the city’s Moody Theater — the venue of US public television’s long-running ‘Austin City Limits’ concert series — will be streamed live via Apple’s iTunes store as well as through a dedicated iTunes festival app.
While the full lineup of artists is pending, Apple said the bill would also include Australian-born country star Keith Urban and the Russian-German electro DJ Zedd.
‘The iTunes Festival in London has become an incredible way for Apple to share its love of music with our customers,’ said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services.
‘We’re excited about the incredible lineup of artists performing and SXSW is the perfect place to debut the first iTunes Festival in the United States,’ he said in a statement.
The announcement signals a higher profile for Apple during SXSW, which runs from 7 to 16 March with more than 1,200 bands so far scheduled to perform at venues around Austin.