SHANGHAI, April 8 (Reuters) – Chinese search engine Baidu (9888.HK) has sued developers of “affiliated” apps over counterfeit copies of the ErnieBot app available on Apple’s app store. filed a lawsuit against Apple (AAPL.O).
The company’s AI-powered Erniebot, which launched last month, is being touted as China’s closest answer to the US-developed chatbot ChatGPT.
Baidu said it has filed a lawsuit against the developers behind its Ernie bot and Apple’s counterfeit applications in the Beijing Haidian People’s Court.
“Currently, Arnie does not have an official app,” Baidu said in a statement late Friday posted on its official “Baidu AI” WeChat account.
I also posted a photo of the court filing.
“Until we officially announce it, any Ernie app you see on the App Store or any other store is fake.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A search by Reuters on Saturday found that at least four apps in Apple’s App Store bearing the Ernie bot’s Chinese name are still fake.
The Ernie bot is only available to users who have applied for and received an access code. In a statement, Baidu also issued a warning to those selling access codes.
Reporting by Jason Xue and Brenda Goh.Editing by Robert Barthel
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