14 DAY TRIAL // Qualcomm wants iPhones to be banned in China despite the recently-released iOS update supposed to address the patent violation that led to a local court granting an injunction on Apple’s smartphones.
The company said in a statement for Reuters that iPhones must remain banned in China, and warns that Apple actually violates the court ruling by keeping its devices in stores.
“Despite Apple’s efforts to downplay the significance of the order and its claims of various ways it will address the infringement, Apple apparently continues to flout the legal system by violating the injunctions,” Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm’s general counsel, was quoted as saying.
“Apple’s statements following the issuance of the preliminary injunction have been deliberate attempts to obfuscate and misdirect.”
A Chinese court ruled against Apple and banned a series of iPhone models on the local market on December 10, claiming that these devices violate multiple software patents owned by Qualcomm.
iPhones still on sale
Apple, on the other hand, said that only older iPhone models running previous iOS versions might be targeted by the order, promising a software update that would address all the claims.
The iOS update was published earlier today and comes to resolve the alleged patent violation, though it’s not yet clear how Apple does this. No specifics were provided, but Cupertino confirmed for the cited source that iOS 12.1.2 update indeed includes changes related to the patent dispute.
Last week, Apple said iPhones would remain on sale despite the court order, and now that an iOS update is available to address all claims, it’s pretty clear the company has no intention to pull its devices.
In a statement issued to Reuters, Apple says it doesn’t violate the injunction announced by the court last week. The court order, however, makes no mention of the devices or operating systems that might violate Qualcomm’s patents.