Apple Inc. suffered a legal setback on Monday as a US appeals court ruled against the tech giant in its case against security startup Corellium Inc. It claimed that Corellium’s simulation of its iOS operating system violated its copyrights, but the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed. The court held that Corellium’s actions fell within the bounds of fair use, a copyright doctrine that allows for the recreation of copyrighted material for purposes such as scientific progress and research.
Corellium, based in Florida, develops software that enables users to run iOS on non-Apple devices, allowing them to examine and modify the operating system. This functionality aids security researchers in their quest to identify vulnerabilities in Apple devices more efficiently. Apple initially filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Corellium in a South Florida federal court in 2019, after an unsuccessful attempt to acquire the startup for $23 million.
In 2020, the district court dismissed Apple’s claims regarding Corellium’s iOS simulator. Apple subsequently appealed the decision in 2021.
The 11th Circuit upheld the district court’s ruling, stating that Corellium’s use of iOS constituted fair use. Furthermore, the court emphasized that Corellium’s software introduced new features that facilitated security research beyond the capabilities of physical iPhones. Apple’s argument that Corellium was merely repackaging iOS for profit, thereby harming Apple’s market and security research programs, was rejected by the appeals court.
According to the circuit court, Corellium’s actions have paved the way for more extensive security research into operating systems like iOS.
The appeals court has referred the case back to the district court to evaluate whether Corellium infringed upon Apple’s copyrights pertaining to icons and wallpapers, or if it contributed to copyright infringement by third parties.
Source: NDTV
