America's wireless technology giant Qualcomm Inc. said on Monday that it had received orders from a Chinese court banning the import and sale of seven iPhone models in China.
Qualcomm said in an announcement on Monday that it had obtained two preliminary injunctions from the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court, located in eastern China’s Fujian Province, which banned the import, sale and offers for sale of seven iPhone models from iPhone 6S through iPhone X in the country.
These bans were granted to Qualcomm after it filed a case in late 2017 against iPhone’s producer Apple Inc. for infringing upon its two patents that were previously found to be valid by China’s patent administrative authority, according to the announcement.
The patents involved offer functions on the above seven iPhone models to adjust photos and manage applications on the touchscreen. Other three versions, including the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR which were launched by Apple in September 2018, were not affected by this case.
In response to the ruling, Apple issued a statement on Monday saying that all its iPhone models remained available for its customers in China. “Qualcomm is asserting three patents they had never raised before, including one which has already been invalidated,” said Apple, adding that it would pursue all legal options through the courts.
A report of China Securities Journal on Tuesday quoted its source close to the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court as saying that the court issued its written ruling on the patent case last week. The injunction did not allow an appeal or a second hearing and would be applicable across China, according to the source.
A legal professional told the above Journal that after the injunctions take effect, Qualcomm and Apple can go through a reconciliation procedure to reach a deal and then apply to the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court to repeal the bans.
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