Shenzhen Baili, the Chinese smartphone company that recently won a patent infringement claim against Apple over the iPhone 6, "barely exists," according to an investigation carried out by the Wall Street Journal.

Last week there were reports that intellectual property regulators in Beijing had banned the sales of Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models because they looked too similar to Shenzhen Baili's 100 C smartphone.

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According to authorities, Apple's two iPhone 6 models violated an exterior design patent held by Shenzhen Baili's 100C smartphone.

In spite of this, sales of Apple's iPhone 6 in Beijing were not actually halted, as Apple filed an appeal against the order and received a stay on the ruling for the duration of the appeal.

After the allegations came to light, The Wall Street Journal carried out an investigation into the Chinese smartphone company and shockingly found that Shenzhen Baili does not have a working phone, nor does it have a company office. The smartphone company has also stopped production of the 100C model and "barely exists."

The report states that former employees of Schenzhen Baili said the patent infringement claim was no more than a publicity stunt to promote the company's smartphones.

However, a lawyer representing Baili's parent company, Digione, said that they will continue to pursue their lawsuit against Apple.

"Shenzhen Baili is still operational in its necessary functions," the lawyer said. "The issue here is not whether Digione makes phones anymore, but whether the iPhone 6 infringes on this patent."

Tagsapple, apple iphone 6, Patent, Shenzhen Baili, Shenzhen Baili 100C, 100C, Shenzhen Baili patent, Wall Street Journal