This is a discussion on Meizu in Trouble - Raided by German Police within the Meizu News forums, part of the Meizu Me category; The news on Heise Online just got an update: heise online - CeBIT special - Polizeiaktion gegen mutmaßliche Produktpiraten [Update]
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Basically, it says a meizu manager told the dpa (a german news agency) that the raid had nothing to do with the miniOne, but instead with another MP3 player (no product name given). She said there were "discussions" regarding licenses.
Later today, the booth was re-opened, and the miniOne was on display again (but not the MP3 player).
Tomorrow I will go to CeBIT myself, I hope they don't shut down the booth again
According to Jack Wong's reply on a Chinese Meizu fan site. The shut down was due to Sisvel (patent holder of MP3 format) complaining about Meizu not paying for MP3 format royalties. However, in a statement provided by Jack Wong, their m8 unit does not state support for MP3. It only shows WMA support. There were also claims that the booth will re-open. According to Jack's statement. MP3 support for units sold in the USA (Dane-Elec) or other countries is paid for by the importer/distributors locally.
So, wait a minute. Nothing to do with Apple, no patents violated, booth was re-opened?
:D:D:D
Even better!
Correct me if I'm wrong but in the end, doesn't this create the impression to the general public that Meizu is legit? Mmm, small Chinese company, accusations of piracy, confiscation but in the end acquital.
Joe Schmoe doesn't want the details (Sisvel in stead of Apple, iPhone vs M8, UI, mp3 and what more), he just heard someone (Apple ) can't make accusations of piracy stick.
If only this was a political campaign...I'd go for the position of Meizu spindoctor
Basically, it says a meizu manager told the dpa (a german news agency) that the raid had nothing to do with the miniOne, but instead with another MP3 player (no product name given). She said there were "discussions" regarding licenses.
Later today, the booth was re-opened, and the miniOne was on display again (but not the MP3 player).
Tomorrow I will go to CeBIT myself, I hope they don't shut down the booth again
Hey CmdrCord by any chance could you do the official CeBit interview? Tangmu unfortunately cannot do it.
Obviously Engadget covers the miniOne more on the negative side e.g. by emphasizing that it's an iPhone rip-off - but then, who in their right mind would disavow that it indeed aims to be just that?
I'm not advocating Apple here, I really think they should have some serious competition. Making a technically equal or superior product at a much better price (as was the case e.g with the M6) will make some people reconsider Apples pricing, at least. But it still has this "copycat" label, which is perceived bad - it might even keep some people from buying because of the negative image.
After all, Apples products are all about image (you know that kind of people, they will tell you that you "just couldn't afford a real Apple iXYZ"). [/rant]
What's really bad: many news sites will now lose interest in the story.
An "iPhone clone" going down is interesting for the masses - whereas a manufacturer having trouble with some patent management company is not
no chance. Apple don't even have a booth at cebit. A number of other companies got their boothes closed down too. It is all to do with Italian company Sisvel the holder of the mp3 patent who are nortorious for chasing people down in conjunction with the mp3 patent. Whatever these blogs say it is clear Meizu has little regard for their opinion, they are too focused on their own business to read this propeganda. Why would Wong give a damn about a couple of s**ty blogs when he's got a domestic market of over a billion people to market the M8 too? Once the M8 hits the domestic market in China the iphone is buried in china. Americans are dillusional about their importance, without china they would not survive.
Hi guys, this is my first post, but I'm both a Meizu fan and an IT journalist since a long time. I'm also italian and I know Sisvel history quite well.
I saw Sisvel in action with these court actions and seizure at shows now more than three times. It happened at IFA with Sandisk Malata and many others. It happened even at MediaWorld shops in Italy for Creative Labs products, it happened at customs in Genoa Port for a container of Oregon Scientific Players and so on.
This time (I'm at Cebit these days) they are targeting the few companies that are still resisting this "licence" thing. Legally speaking the patent protection/licence that Sisvel is asking is sound and correct, but the spirit with which it is done and enforced is seen by others like something not in line with the Standardization committees (Fraunhofer has other rights but doesn't play the patent game like Sisvel, neither Thomson does...). Someone in the industry is calling them "Patent trolls".
One of the rules for the patents involved in standards is that the access to the patent should be granted to everyone and at a fair price. Sisvel is asking a fair price per unit (30 US cents per audio channel) but there are other strings attached that make Sisvel scheme quite hard for small companies or manufacturers that sell world wide (also in countries where the enforcement of the patent could be more difficult).
Anyway, I was at Gigabite booth while the german police was taking the G-Smart mobile phones for the same reason while Avermedia Booth was cleaner than a surgical room... This is not Meizu specific... is "market/product" specific!
I can tell you that many asian manufacturers of devices that could be hit by Sisvel are now just offering OEM/ODM so that the Licence responsibility falls on the customer and not the manufacturer. They are the "quick learners".
Someone may object that Windows Mobile DOES HAVE an MP3 deconding in Windows Media Player and if you look at the licencees list you'll find MS just for XBOX and MediaCenter, but not for these operating systems...
It is however correct that Dane-Elect pays the licence for the M3 and M6 sold in Europe, but Sisvel is looking for the royalty on EVERY SINGLE device manufactured and this is why keeps an eye also on the brands that are licenced just for a specific market. They more or less "demand" the licence agreement with the manufacturer and not single local distributors. Licencing to distributors is an easy way to figure out who is producing what and how big is their market.
As for the latest news, Sisvel is now also into CDMA2000 and DVB-H... so new troubles for anyone producing products complying to those standards!
My bottom line is: Meizu will be able to sell their products throug distributors that get the licence, but they will be more and more targeted by these actions to be persuaded to licence directly...
If some of you says "hey, just .60 usd per unit... is not a lot", just remember that for manufacturers the licencing does imply that this royalty is paid retroactively for ALL the devices made/sold since the last 3 or 5 years... no matter where they were sold. This piles up to quite some money and would be definitely an "unexpected additional cost".
These are my "5 cents".
I'll pass by Meizu booth again tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to see what happens. More reports will follow!
In the meantime the number of seizures will increase: the guy going around the show had quite a massive pile of printouts whith names and products to take away from the show!
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