Chinese Court Reportedly Bans iPhones From Being Sold in China

A court in China has reportedly granted chip maker Qualcomm an injunction against Apple, effectively halting sales and imports of most iPhone models in the country.

Based on the court ruling, several devices, shipped with OS 11 and below (iPhone 6s through iPhone X), violated two patents owned by Qualcomm on image resizing and app management, according to Reuters.

“We deeply value our relationships with customers, rarely resorting to the courts for assistance, but we also have an abiding belief in the need to protect intellectual property rights,” said the statement released by the company on Monday.

“Apple continues to benefit from our intellectual property while refusing to compensate us. These Court orders are further confirmation of the strength of Qualcomm’s vast patent portfolio,” Qualcomm’s general counsel Don Rosenberg was quoted as saying.

The American multinational firm claims two preliminary injunctions affect a whole range of iPhones released since the iPhone 6s, which means every phone Apple has made in the last three years.

Meanwhile, Apple has released a statement disputing the scope of the ban, claiming the order only affects iPhones running on older versions of iOS. Apple stated that iOS 12 doesn’t violate the patents, CNBC reports.

“Qualcomm’s effort to ban our products is another desperate move by a company whose illegal practices are under investigation by regulators around the world,” Apple’s statement read.

“All iPhone models remain available for our customers in China. Qualcomm is asserting three patents they had never raised before, including one which has already been invalidated. We will pursue all our legal options through the courts.”

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