Shanghai Daily reports that Apple is facing a lawsuit in China over Siri, with Shanghai Zhi Zhen Internet Technology Co Ltd claiming that Siri infringes upon its patent rights.

The Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People’s Court will hold a pre-hearing at 2pm today to let Apple and Shanghai Zhi Zhen Internet Technology Co Ltd exchange evidence. […]

“Siri is very similar to Xiaoi, a chat robot system we have been developing since 2003,” said Mei Li, a spokeswoman of Shanghai Zhi Zhen which filed the lawsuit.

Mei said her company applied for patent rights for Xiaoi in 2004 in China and the patent right went into effect in 2006.

Xiaoi “which started as a chat bot for MSN” has evolved to look quite similar to Siri, is available on multiple platforms such as Android and iOS [App Store] and has over 100 million users. » Apple Faces Patent Lawsuit In China Over Siri

Bloomberg reports that VirnetX has won a patent lawsuit against Apple in 2010 over virtual private networking (VPN) connectivity related to Apple’s FaceTime video calling feature and have been awarded a total of $368.2 million.

The VirnetX patents cover the use of a domain-name service to set up virtual private networks, through which a website owner can interact with customers in a secure way or an employee can work at home and get access to a company’s electronic files. VirnetX had sought $708 million in damages.

“For years Apple refused to pay fair value for the VirnetX patents,” Doug Cawley, a lawyer with McKool Smith in Dallas who represents VirnetX, said in closing arguments. “Apple says they don’t infringe. But Apple developers testified that they didn’t pay any attention to anyone’s patents when developing their system.”

MacRumors writes “The technology was developed as part of work conducted by defense company SAIC on behalf of the Central Intelligence Agency, and VirnetX is a holding company created by former SAIC employees. VirnetX has indicated that it plans to seek a halt to continuing use of its technology by Apple, so it is unclear how the two parties will proceed toward a potential resolution that would keep FaceTime intact. ” » VirnetX Wins $368.2 Million Verdict Against Apple In VPN Patent Lawsuit

AppleInsider wrote that Ameranth, a leading developer of internet and software solutions for the hospitality marketplace, filed suit against Apple’s Passbook digital ticketing app, claiming patent infringement in an ongoing effort to enforce its wireless technology IP. While Apple just launched the PassBook app which only supports a view apps, Ameranth lodged a complaint against Apple claiming infringement of four patents. » Apple Sued Over Passbook By Software Maker Ameranth

NYTimes reports on the responses from Apple and Samsung about the patent verdict which found largely in favor of Apple and resulted in an over $1 billion verdict against Samsung. After the break you can see what Apple and Samsung have to say about this decision. » Apple & Samsung Responded To The $1 Billion Patent Verdict

Apple just got awarded a new patent that may become the wearable version of the iPad one day: eyeglasses that would display apps, video, images, and overlay information on the world around you in realtime. Like Google’s thingamajig, Apple’s eyeglasses would project all this information directly into the user’s eyes using LCD projectors. » Apple Got Awarded A New Patent For Wearable Computing Devices

Patently Apple dug up a patent related to building 3D avatars, which could be for GameCenter or a number of other areas where you would want to create an online personality:

Earlier today we introduced Apples 3D Avatar App which covered a basic overview of the new application in the works. Now a second patent application has surfaced and it actually shows that the app is already running on an iPad! We have the screenshot to prove it. The new patent application focuses on how the app will work with color palettes and more. The big news however is that the new 3D Avatar App is in its final stages of development and that’s very cool. Evidently phase-one of the application is geared for the younger crowd, but other editions could be in the works as discussed in our first report today.

» Apple Shows Off A “Patent” 3D Avatar Building Application

Businessweek reported that Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. won a second German patent ruling against Apple Inc. over its iCloud service allowing the company to block sales of devices with access to it.

The Mannheim Regional Court found Apple infringed a patent used to synchronize e-mail accounts. The ruling also allows Motorola Mobility to ask Apple for information about past sales and holds Apple liable for damages, Presiding Judge Andreas Voss said in delivering the ruling. “The court has come to the conclusion that the wording of the patent does cover functioning that were at issue here,” said Voss. Apple “was not able to convince the court that it is not infringing.”

» Motorola Won Patent Ruling Against Apple: Apple Removed 3G Devices Except iPhone 4S From German Online Apple Store