Country of Malaysia files patent suit against Apple’s iPad? Say What?

Huh? According to the report, both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of Malaysia have filed a joint suit by the Federal government and the Penang state administration against Apple for the iPad. The suit claims that the ideas for the iPad were first registered by the Malaysian government agencies.

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Both branches of the government are claiming that the iPad is infringing on the 1 Malaysia and Middle Malaysia concepts, because of  its position as a product which places it directly in between the iPhone and the MacBook.

When asked for a comment regarding the suit, the Information and Culture Minister stated, “this is Malaysian culture and we cannot allow others to steal it, just like how Indonesia stole our batik and Singapore, our Ampang Yong Tau Fu.” Earlier today in a press conference, Lim insisted that “we have painstakingly worked with lawyers and marketing firms to come up with an idea that was original and convincing, and now Apple has simply come in and stolen it.”

In an excerpt from the Malaysian Insider “He added that disallowing Apple from using his idea was not acting like a “dictator, chauvinist or communist” but that Apple CEO Steve Jobs was “burning bridges” with the people of Penang and Malaysia, implying that Penang’s relationship with one of its most important foreign investors Intel, who are also Apple’s main chip producer, may have been jeopardized.

Technology expert iVan eNg believes that if Malaysia wins the suit, it could be worth RM2 billion as “despite its obviously stupid, menstrually-linked name, we all know that people will still buy something from Apple even if it is Steve Jobs’ shit in a bag, so long as Apple puts an ‘i’ in front of it or ‘book’ at the end of it.”

We’ll just have to tune in and see how this all turns out.

[via The Malaysian Insider]