Apple to Remove Some iPhones From German Market After Qualcomm Enforces Ban
Apple is expected to pull some iPhone models from its German stores after Qualcomm said on Thursday it posted security bonds to enforce a court order banning the sale of those iPhone models in the country.
Qualcomm said it posted security bonds totaling €1.34 billion (Euros), required for Qualcomm to be able to enforce the remedies ordered by the Court on December 20, 2018, after the Court found that Apple is infringing Qualcomm’s patented power savings technology used in smartphones.
The court had previously ordered Apple to cease the sale, offer for sale and importation for sale of all infringing iPhones in Germany. The Court also ordered Apple to recall infringing iPhones from third party resellers in Germany.
The iPhone maker had earlier said it would pull iPhone 7 and 8 models from its 15 retail stores in Germany when the order came into force.
The German case is Qualcomm’s third major effort to secure a ban on Apple’s lucrative iPhones over patent-infringement allegations after similar moves in the U.S. and China, and is part of a global patent spat between the two companies.
In its previous statement on the decision, Apple had said it would continue to offer all of its phones at thousands of retail and carrier locations across Germany, a direct contradiction to Qualcomm’s interpretation of the order.
Apple has not provided any new comment.
Apple has also continued to sell phones in China, saying it believed its phones were legal there. Still, the company pushed a software update to address concerns over whether it was in compliance with the Chinese courts.
Qualcomm has said those software updates were insufficient and that Apple must still pull its phones. Apple had filed a request for the Chinese court to reconsider its decision, but no outcome has been announced.