The patent battles just got more ridiculous - Goophone looking to sue Apple in China

You thought that the patent war between Apple and the Android OEMs was ridiculous before? Wait ‘till you hear about the most recent impending trial! No, this time around it’s not Tim Cook’s company looking to draw blood from a competitor, but… Goophone looking to challenge Apple in a Chinese court.

Goophone, as you might remember, was in the spotlight last week, after the unveiling of what we all called an iPhone 5 clone, even though Apple’s new smartphone is yet to be presented to the wide public.

However, what looked like the most recent cheap knock-off in a long string of Chinese-made lookalikes might well turn out to be a legal nightmare for Apple. At least that’s what Ubergizmo reports, based on a YouTube video uploaded by Android-Sale.com.

According to the clip, Goophone will sue Apple if the Cupertino-based company will ever try to make the iPhone 5 available in China. The YouTube video maker, although trying to speak English, is basically incomprehensible. However, we think we’ve managed to read “between the lines” and get that Goophone is claiming the i5 is the result of “independent research and development”, which is why the Chinese have “vowed to resist the iPhone 5”. Goophone will be looking to sue Apple “whatever the new iPhone appearance” will be.

I know how it sounds. It sounds like a prank or a practical joke, similar to the story about Samsung’s $1 billion payment in nickels or the one about Sammy’s future triangle designs. But what if it isn’t a joke? And what if Goophone actually patented the i5’s design in China before Apple got a chance to patent the iPhone 5’s exterior?

That “whatever the new iPhone appearance will be” statement is still funny and outrageous, but we’re guessing there was something lost in translation. I mean, Goophone can’t sue Apple if the iPhone 5 will end up looking nothing like the Chinese i5, right?

So, again, what if the YouTube clip’s claims are serious and Goophone will try to attack Apple in a Chinese court if the iPhone 5 will ever see the light of day there? Will Apple simply skip the launch of the new iPhone in today’s biggest smartphone market? Or will they risk ending up in Samsung’s place? Or maybe they’ll try to get to a cross-licensing agreement with Goophone?

I don’t know about you, but I’m laughing my guts out in front of the computer while writing up this story. Even if it’ll turn up to be a joke, it’s a bloody hilarious one. And if it’s in fact legit, it’s that much funnier if you think that Goophone probably did inspire the i5’s design from Apple, but then had the brilliant idea to try to use legal tricks to make this look like more than just the next clone. Kudos, Goophone; in your face, Apple!

Oh right, I almost completely forgot… The YouTube clip also lists some of the Goophone i5’s tech specs kept under wraps last week. And the funny thing is that this might actually not be a pushover, but a rather decent Android high-ender, with a 1.4 GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 4-inch IPS screen with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, dual 8 MP/1.3 MP cameras, and Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. In your face again, Apple!

P.S.: If there’s anyone fluent in the Chinglish, do be so kind to share your knowledge and translate its “message”!