An iPhone 5 look-alike smartphone could be stealing Apple’s Chinese customers ahead of the American company’s official launch. Goophone, as it is called, bears striking resemblance with Apple’s iPhone, so a new discussion related to copyright infringements could arise, says CNET News.

Several photos taken from a Chinese website have awakened the interest of all technology analysts. The phone looks very much like the new iPhone 5 which will be released on 21 September, the only difference being that it is produced by a company in China named Goophone.

The carcass and the design are not the only elements that have been copied from the American company. Goophone has taken its inspiration from other powerful IT firms, as well, such as, Google. They have, thus, used a different software program instead of iOS, more specifically, Goodle’s Android. These elements have given the Chinese company the possibility to commercialize the phone and even convince some customers to buy it. Its popularity could increase in the following months as many more discussions will be made in relation to Apple’s new iPhone.

This is not the first time when the Chinese company has copied the looks and feel of one of Apple’s devices. Even its Goophone Y5 4S looks very similar to Apple’s iPhone 4S, so it shouldn’t surprise us if Goophone I5 is a copy of the much-awaited iPhone 5. The Chinese device sports a two-tone black design and a quad core chip as its American counterpart. The display, however, uses a less advanced technology than the American phone as it is endowed with a 3.5-inch display and 940 x 640 pixels. The camera on the back has 5 megapixels, whereas the one in the front is a 1.3 megapixel snapper.

Apple did not release any statement in relation to the Chinese copy of their successful device. It remains to be seen whether the American company will begin a legal battle against Goophone as it did against Samsung. Meanwhile, analysts draw the media’s attention upon the constant copyright law infringements occurring in China.