Apple Loses Copyright Suit Against Corellium

Apple has lost its copyright claim against a Florida company, Corellium, that makes “virtual iPhones” used by security researchers to test for vulnerabilities in its systems, Bloomberg reported.

Apple claimed the other company copied its operating system and graphical user interface, along with other aspects of the iPhone, Bloomberg reported. According to Apple, Corellium had acted as if it would help discovering iPhone bugs in the operating system, but instead sold the information to the highest bidder.

The actions Corellium took, according to Bloomberg, were an exception to copyright law because the company created a “new, virtual platform for iOS and adds capabilities not available on Apple’s iOS devices,” a Tuesday, December 29, ruling by West Palm Beach District Court Judge Rodney Smith stated.

Corellium’s customers, it stated, are government agencies, financial institutions, and security researchers, per Bloomberg. Apple, Corellium stated, attempted to buy the firm. When that didn’t work, Apple sued, according to Corellium.

“There is evidence in the record to support Corellium’s position that its product is intended for security research and, as Apple concedes, can be used for security research,” the judge said, according to Bloomberg. “Further, Apple itself would have used the product for internal testing had it successfully acquired the company.”

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