Google Admits Help in Chinese Character Editor

Google has admitted to using a third-party in developing the dictionary for its recently-released Pinyin Input Method Editor (IME), aimed at assisting Chinese users in entering characters on a Roman-style keyboard, IDG News Service reported Monday. The search engine has come under criticism for possibly infringing on a similar service offered by Chinese competitor Sohu.com.

Sohu sent a letter to Google Friday demanding that they halt downloads of the IME, as they claim portions of the application copies its own IME. It is unknown whether Sohu used the same third-party, although names of Sohu employees and similar mistakes are found in each product. Google China apologized in a blog post Monday, making changes to the IME database.