Apple retrieves the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 from all fifteen Apple Stores in Germany after a ruling by the Munich Court of Appeal. According to the court, Apple is infringing patents of Qualcomm, according to a statement of the chip manufacturer.
However, Apple continues to deliver iPhone models via the reseller channel, with 4,300 locations in Germany. The new iPhone XS, XS Max and XR will remain available on the Apple Retail Store, as they are not part of the ruling.
German and Chinese markets
Two respected courts in two different jurisdictions have confirmed the value of Qualcomm’s patents over the past two weeks. They have declared Apple to be an infringer and have demanded a ban on iPhones in the important German and Chinese market, according to Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel, Qualcomm Incorporated.
He also refers to an earlier ruling this month by a Chinese judge, who also imposed an import and sales ban on Apple. In China we are talking about the iPhone 6S, rising to the iPhone X and all the models in between.
In order to make iPhones available to the Chinese market, Apple released a software update earlier this week. The computer manufacturer hereby hopes that the import and sale of the relevant iPhone models will still be permitted as a result of the modifications. Especially since China claims to be the largest smartphone market in the world.
$668 million deposit
According to news site Bright, the German court of appeal also ordered the computer manufacturer to pay compensation to Qualcomm. However, the chip manufacturer itself must first pay a deposit of 668 million dollars in order to be able to start the enforcement procedure of the sales ban.
Should an appeal court rule that the current judgment is unfounded, the deposit will be required to compensate for the loss incurred by Apple.
Legal battle continues
The patent infringement relates to a technology for efficient power consumption in chips from supplier Qorvo, which are used in iPhones for wireless communication. Apple and Qualcomm have long been involved in a legal dispute over licensing terms.
For example, Qualcomm accuses Apple of using its technology without paying enough. Apple, in turn, is accusing the chip manufacturer of taking advantage of its market position to charge high fees.
Related: Apple wins first patent lawsuit against Qualcomm
This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.
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