Baidu files suit against Apple and app developers for “Ernie bot” clones.
The Chinese search company Baidu is suing “relevant” app developers and Apple for distributing phony versions of its Ernie bot app through the App Store.
The startup just released their AI-powered Ernie bot last month, and it’s already being called China’s answer to the popular US chatbot ChatGPT.
According to Baidu, legal action against the fake Ernie bot app makers and Apple has been filed in the Beijing Haidian People’s Court.
Currently, “Ernie” does not have an official app, Baidu stated in a statement released late Friday (April 7) on its official “Baidu AI” WeChat account.
It also included an image of the legal document it had filed.
Any Ernie software you find in the software store or anywhere else is false until our company makes an official announcement, it warned.
When contacted for comment, Apple did not provide a response right away.
At least four bogus apps using the Chinese name for the Ernie bot were still available in the Apple App Store as of Saturday, according to a search by Reuters.
Access to the Ernie bot is restricted to those who have applied for and been granted access. Baidu also cautioned against the sale of access codes by third parties in its statement.