The impact of the decision by the city’s intellectual property office, which said that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus phones looked too similar to the 100C phone by electronics group Shenzhen Baili, is largely symbolic.
The handsets are still available as Apple appeals, and analysts said it was unlikely to affect sales nationwide. Shenzhen Baili is not one of China’s better-known companies, and the Chinese market is awash with phones that resemble the iPhone.
“The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sold on the market violate patent rights,” the ruling reads. “The offending party is ordered to immediately stop the infringing behaviour,” it added, ordering Apple to “stop selling” the two devices.