Apple dealt patent blow in China

Apple suffered a defeat on Friday when a Chinese authority ruled against it on claims some of its iPhones violated patents held by another company.

The Beijing Intellectual Property Office ruled that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are infringing on intellectual property held by a small Chinese company, Bloomberg reported. The news service reported that Apple had appealed the ruling and could continue to sell the iPhone for the time being.

{mosads}Other officials can cite the decision as a precedent even though it only covers Beijing, according to Bloomberg.

But it’s part of a string of recent bad news for Apple in China, which is seen as a major potential market for American tech companies. Earlier this year, authorities in China shut down the company’s iBooks store and iTunes Movies product.

“What I can tell you there is we’re working with the relevant government agencies and other businesses, and we’re pretty confident and optimistic that we’ll be back online and offering those to our Chinese customers soon,” Cook said on CNBC in May.

Cook was in China last month in an attempt to smooth over tensions there. He also led Apple’s landmark investment in a Chinese competitor to Uber.

Several American tech companies have faced trouble in recent years in China. It’s a problem that has drawn attention from President Obama, who last year said he had personally addressed the issue with his Chinese counterpart.