Baidu sues Apple, app developers over fake Ernie bot apps

Reuters

Published Apr 10, 2023 05:09

Updated Apr 10, 2023 14:18

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese search engine giant Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) has filed lawsuits against "relevant" app developers and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) over fake copies of its Ernie bot app available on Apple's app store.

The company's artificial intelligence powered Ernie bot, launched last month, has been touted as China's closest answer to the U.S.-developed chatbot ChatGPT.

Baidu said it had lodged lawsuits in Beijing Haidian People's Court against the developers behind the counterfeit applications of its Ernie bot and the Apple company.

"At present, Ernie does not have any official app," Baidu said in a statement late on Friday posted on its official "Baidu AI" WeChat account.

It also posted a photograph of its court filing.

"Until our company's official announcement, any Ernie app you see from App Store or other stores are fake," it said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.