Apple halts sale of iPhone 7 and 8 in Germany: Report | ZDNet
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Apple will stop selling the iPhone 7 and 8 in Germany as it appeals an injunction from the Munich District Court, CNBC reported.
Qualcomm boasted in a statement that the injunction it won covered Apple’s European Union entities, as well the Cupertino-based Apple Incorporated.
“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,” said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel, Qualcomm Incorporated.
However, CNBC reported Apple saying its devices will still be available through carriers and resellers, but not Apple’s 15 retail stores in Germany.
Earlier this month, Qualcomm won a similar injunction in China that applied to the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.
In the Chinese case, the patents Qualcomm claims are being infringed are used to adjust and reformat the size and appearance of photographs, and manage applications using a touch screen when viewing, navigating, and dismissing applications on their phones.
As for the German case, Qualcomm said the patent in question provides a way to mitigate power amplifier power consumption. Intel and Qorvo provided the chips in the alleged infringing devices, CNBC said.
General counsel of Intel, Steven Rodgers, said Qualcomm is engaging in a campaign of lawsuits that would reduce innovation and raise prices, if successful.
“Qualcomm’s goal is not to vindicate its intellectual property rights, but rather to drive competition out of the market for premium modem chips, and to defend a business model that ultimately harms consumers,” Rodgers said.
Apple and Qualcomm started their legal stoush in January 2017 when Cupertino filed a suit seeking $1 billion in damages that accused Qualcomm of withholding contractual payments it owed in retaliation for Apple’s cooperation with South Korean regulatory investigators.
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