Apple is removing the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 from its stores in Germany after Qualcomm struck another blow in the tech giants’ global patent war.
The US chipmaker has won an another injunction requiring Apple to halt sales of those particular iPhones, after a German court ruled Apple had infringed on hardware patent owned by Qualcomm.
The chipmakers says components built by Intel and Apple supplier Qorvo Inc infringe on a patent pertaining to the envelope tracking feature, which helps phones save battery while sending out and receiving wireless signals.
Apple has pulled the iPhone 7 and 8 range from sale at its official stores while it awaits the result of an appeal, but they’ll continue to be available at third-party retailers. The company’s newest phones, the iPhone XS, XS Max and iPhone XR are unaffected (via Reuters).
In a statement, Apple called Qualcomm “desperate to distract from the real issues” between the two companies.
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A spokesperson said: “Their tactics, in the courts and in their everyday business, are harming innovation and harming consumers. Qualcomm insists on charging exorbitant fees based on work they didn’t do and they are being investigated by governments all around the world for their behavior. We are of course disappointed by this verdict and we plan to appeal. All iPhone models remain available to customers through carriers and resellers in 4,300 locations across Germany. During the appeal process, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models will not be available at Apple’s 15 retail stores in Germany. iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will remain available in all our stores.”
The injunction in Germany follows an initial victory in China, where a court ruled that the iPhones must be removed from sale. At the time of writing those devices are still on sale in the country, with Apple using a software update to address the infringement accusations.
Qualcomm EVP and general counsel Don Rosenberg added: “Two respected courts in two different jurisdictions just in the past two weeks have now confirmed the value of Qualcomm’s patents and declared Apple an infringer, ordering a ban on iPhones in the important markets of Germany and China.”
Should Qualcomm and Apple find a way to kiss any make up over the holidays? Do we really need another epic global patent war? Let us now @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
