is it true?

i know that these police will grab fake louis vuitton bags from visitors.

but this? isn't it a bit ... intense?

samsonsu

@Yeebles: I could think of one... The last two generations of the Corvette, better gas mileage than pretty much any other sports car over 400hp and the only one exempt from the federal gas guzzler tax.

cryptoknight

They were not shut down for ripping off Apple. It's all over the intertubes that it was because of Sisvel, an Italian company that holds the .MP3 patent and a lack of licensing issue.

What a bullsh#t headline. Come on!

DestroyerMTL

Sounds like people are more interested in blaming Apple than they are figuring out the truth.

Xavoc

Fuck cars

NachoBoy

The meizu m8 attracted me solely for its price. The price cuts of iphone along with the delays of its release have made me loose interest. Ah well they tried...

o0adam0o

i really don't know where Meizu is trying to go with this but here in the US people ether want a iPhone or they don't, in other words love it or hate it. by the time M8 goes on sale the 8GB iphone should be discontinue anyway by maybe a 32GB by summer & a 64GB model by the holidays

snitch29

As the comedian John Pinette said so perfectly (in an Asian accent) "YOU GO NOOOOW"...

DucatiGuy

Not quite?
[www.meizume.com]
"According to Jack Wong's reply on a Chinese Meizu fan site. The shut down was due to Sisvel (patent holder of MP3 format) complaining about Meizu not paying for MP3 format royalties. However, in a statement provided by Jack Wong, their m8 unit does not state support for MP3. It only shows WMA support. There were also claims that the booth will re-open. According to Jack's statement. MP3 support for units sold in the USA (Dane-Elec) or other countries is paid for by the importer/distributors locally."
(German)
[www.heise.de]

Seems to be a problem with an MP3 player and an Italian company.

secretmanofagent

@theotherstevejobs:

Hatred of cars? American cars are just massive gas guzzling cars. I can't think of an american car that I'd prefer over a European car.

Secondly, freedom of speech is different from blatant copying.

Thirdly, they're Germans what do you expect?

Yeebles

@theotherstevejobs:

Ripping a company off is "Freedom of speech" ? may i laugh at you ...

And you do need a court order to shut something like that down. Apple probably filed the paperwork on the first day of the CeBIT and was allowed to shut it down today ... so what is the big deal ...

But yeah i guess you are also one of those guys who still eats his "Freedom Fries"

Redwraithvienna

I usually don't like to gloat, but... *gloat*.

I watched with fascination as many people (including Giz employees) actually believed every word Meizu fed them - and also defended the obvious infringement of copyrights.

bitfactory

(Ralph) HaaHaa

Joseph

'swat you get for not hailing the chimp.

strider_mt2k

this is bullshit. I'm as Apple fanboi as you can get, but this is crap. Of course, this is Europe, and freedom isn't exactly the same in Europe as it is in the US. See, here, we have to prove something in court before the gestapo comes and shuts you down. And if the courts rule against you, then you get Windows 3.1 since Apple lost their look-n-feel case against Windows 3.1

Damnit Euros... freedom of speech is something you'll just never understand. (and your hatred for cars is also fscking annoying)

theotherstevejobs

Meizu makes some good, not-so copycat players too. Their brand has really been dragged through the mud by the M8.

Ypoknons

wrong headline, must check sources.

Ultraorange

AWESOME!! Screw that trashy company.

WallStSk8r

You might want to change that headline given Meizu were shut down for a reason completely unrelated to Apple's crapPhone.

I mean, where DID this totally false claim come from originally? It's all over the web and not everybody is correcting their story now we all know the facts.

DelSource

@theotherstevejobs:

Oh you can talk about Nazis (pro or against) in most european countries. i think the ones which forbid it are Germany and Austria (for rather obviouse reasons ... and even here there are talks about dropping those laws). There is a facist party in italy, there are extreme right wing parties in sweden and some other european countries. So this is not really such a problem as you make it out to be. But yeah lets start a "We promote slavery" party in the US and lets see if this might not raise some voices against it too ... just an idea ...

And you cant go over 5km/h over the speed limit ? In which european country ? Where i live you they add 10% of your measured speed and if you are 10 km/h over the speed limit then they beginn to punish you ... so basically you can drive 140 km/h (so about 87,5 mp/h) on a highway and get away with it. Speed limit on german highways ? Not existing on some stretches. And the price you pay for going too fast : it starts with 35 € ! 35 € ! as far as i can remeber speeding tickets in the US start out a LOT higher and can reach a level where you can go to prison.

Oh and about the congestion charges... You can only mean London or Stockholm. And if you NEED to drive into London city then you are either a delivery guy (who would charge the charge on top of his delivery fee) or you are just play stupid and havent found out about public transport which is an extremly well built network in the city itself.

Are there things that suck in Europe ? You betcha ... lots of stuff ... but freedom of speech, speeding, and congestion charges are not one of them. Are things overregulated ... defenitly. Are things underregulated in the US ? OH yes.

Redwraithvienna

@matto:
i could hop up my STi with about 10K in parts and wipe the floor with a Z06 AND i'd still be $20k ahead of the z06 owner, plus i'd have 4 seats and non-plastic body panels, and AWD.

theotherstevejobs

@Nathan Drake:
i can't see how anyone could defend police action against a company that hasn't sold anything yet. Are you all Bushies? Let Apple take Miezu to court if they think they're ripping them off somehow. It would have to be on patent grounds or tradmark grounds, because Apple has lost every one of their Look-n-feel lawsuits. Even when that company came out with iMac-like machines, all they ended up doing was changing the colors and Apple was satiated.

If Miezu is implimeting touch-screens differently than Apple has patented, Apple has no where to go? Maybe tradmark infringement? Maybe? But I'm doubt that.

so i really don't understand how Apple could shut-down someone for making a flat phone with a touchscreen and icons so long as their now using any of their patented touchscreen methods.

theotherstevejobs

Isn't this exactly what happened to Sandisk last year?

Step666

@Yeebles:
i'm talking about the desire of most Euro countries would would like to take your car from you and throw you into the clink if you go so much as 5 kmph over the speed limit. You can't drive in some cities without paying congestion charges that are so confiscatory, its impossible to keep a job. You also can't have GPS receivers in Switzerland that contain the locations of speed cameras. Europe makes some of the best cars, but they don't seem to tolerate them very much.

fwiw: i can't name a single American car i'd buy either - i drive an STi.

Redwraithvienna :
Turns out we were both wrong - apple had nothing to do with this. Freedom of speech includes the ability to talk about the Nazi's, to make disparaging comments about both Christians AND Muslims, and the right to say things that may offend others, regardless of what you think of them.... i'm not sympathizing with the Nazi's in any way... but i believe that trying to censor things like Nazism is pure foolishness. And its obvious that political correctness has severly limited free speech in Europe.

theotherstevejobs

Finaly. I was wondering when the authorities would finaly put a stop to this. It's a miracle Apple didn't stop Meizu any earlier.

Nathan Drake

@cryptoknight: Soon after the introduction of the z06, I spoke with a team racing two of them in either the ALMS or Speedvision GT series- can't remember which now. They said that the Z was an utter pig, and the understeer was impossible for them to tune out of the suspension. If I recall correctly, the Acura team ate their lunch that year.

matto

@cryptoknight:

I guess. But unfortunately here in the UK the government has put an excise tax on petrol meaning 60% is of the price of petrol is tax! And if you drive in London you have to pay congestion charge unless you have a hybrid or electric car (G-Wiz).

Yeebles

Yes, Giz -- geez.. I pay good money for your site, and all I get are factual errors that cause arguments in the comments section only to find out it was all false. What the heck? Why can't you hire Walter Cronkite (I hear he is not doing much these days), or maybe a loser like Dan Rather to fix up the journalistic integrity of this site?

....

Oh, you mean I didn't really pay to visit this site?

Oops. My bad.

Carry on.

Monty

@Ultraorange:
Agreed... WTF Giz?
You are joining the ranks of MSM by NOT following through with journalistic due-diligence and researching the subjects you cover.

nakmario

i know a guy who bought one of these things.

saying that its a rip-off doesnt even begin to describe it

halfpastme

@theotherstevejobs:

Before you go waxing lyrical about 'reedom isn't exactly the same in Europe as it is in the US', and good old Uncle Sam - you need to get a perspective.

The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights were seed documents from a document called the Magna Carta - drawn up in 1215.

In which, a citizens rights to the rule of law, and personal freedoms were established, and written into law for the first time.

Magna Carta (Latin for "Great Charter", literally "Great Paper"), also called Magna Carta Libertatum ("Great Charter of Freedoms"), is an English charter originally issued in 1215. Magna Carta was the most significant early influence on the extensive historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law today. Magna Carta influenced the development of the common law and many constitutional documents, such as the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, and is considered one of the most important legal documents in the history of democracy.

[en.wikipedia.org]

So enough with all that 'freedom of speech is something you'll just never understand' cr@p - the English f@cking invented it!

MINI Driver