Mobike has been hit with a patent infringement lawsuit by an individual who claims the bike-sharing company has stolen his patented QR recognition technology.
According to the website of the State Intellectual Property Office, Hu Tao designed the system for motorbike owners, aiming to allow them to unlock their bikes without a key to reduce the risk of theft.
Users are given an exclusive QR code that they need to store on their mobile phone and have scanned by the micro-camera installed on their motorbike. If the code matches, the bike will be unlocked. Otherwise, an alarm will be triggered.
Hu applied to the office in 2013 and was granted the patent last May. He claimed Mobike infringed his patent and he is demanding 620,000 yuan ($89,970) in compensation. Shanghai Intellectual Property Court accepted the case last Friday, and will open the trial in the near future.
Mobike was established in 2015 in Beijing and made its debut in Shanghai last April.
Beijing Intellectual Property Court accepted a similar case against Mobike last March, when the firm was sued by Shenzhen-based digital-lock developer Lingling Kaimen, according to China National Radio.
