Oliver Haslam on January 5, 2019, 4:50 am

Qualcomm Posts €1.34b In Security Bonds To Enforce Prevention Of iPhone 8, 7 Sale In Germany

Chipmaker and new Apple arch rival Qualcomm has confirmed that it posted the €1.34 billion in security bonds that were required to enforce an injunction to prevent the sale of some iPhones in Germany. This comes after a German court found Apple was infringing upon some of Qualcomms power saving technology patents and, as a result, Apple has removed the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 from sale in the country. The Plus variants of both phones are also gone.

Apple is, predictably, appealing the decision but has removed the devices from sale while that process takes place. The four iPhone models are no longer up for sale on apple.com in Germany, and the same goes for all of the Apple Stores throughout the territory. Current 2018 iPhone models are not impacted.

Interestingly, Apple was also told to recall all of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 handsets that it had sold to resellers, but it appears that this hasn’t yet taken place. Apple, for its part, isn’t convinced that Qualcomm is playing ball, either.

Qualcomm’s campaign is a desperate attempt to distract from the real issues between our companies. Their tactics, in the courts and in their everyday business, are harming innovation and harming consumers. Qualcomm insists on charging exorbitant fees based on work they didn’t do and they are being investigated by governments all around the world for their behavior. We are of course disappointed by this verdict and we plan to appeal. All iPhone models remain available to customers through carriers and resellers in 4,300 locations across Germany. During the appeal process, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models will not be available at Apple’s 15 retail stores in Germany. iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will remain available in all our stores.

That’s not the language of a company hoping to just put all of this behind it, is it?

(Source: Reuters)