Apple settled a 2019 lawsuit with Corellium, a company that built virtual iOS devices used by security researchers to test Apple’s mobile operating system for bugs and other vulnerabilities.
According to the Washington Post, the terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed. However, it’s worth noting that the agreement came after Apple suffered a court loss in the lawsuit back in December 2020. As a quick recap, a federal judge in Florida tossed out Apple’s copyright complaint.
Corellium’s software allows users to run virtual iOS or Android devices in their browser. The company claims its solution is more efficient than using physical devices and more accurate than emulators. That could be especially helpful in the case of iOS, where until recently it was difficult for researchers to get their hands on devices to test for bugs and vulnerabilities.
Apple argued that Corellium had infringed on copyright, violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and it accused Corellium of selling the products indiscriminately, thus compromising product security.
As mentioned above, a federal judge already tossed the copyright infringement complaint, writing at the time that Corellium “met its burden of establishing fair use.”
Engadget points out that Corellium started offering its platform to individual subscribers earlier this year — previously, it was only available to enterprise users. Corellium says it vets each access request to make sure the software won’t fall into the wrong hands.
The settlement comes as Apple continues to promote its iPhones as private and secure, while also coming under fire for the creation of a surveillance tool that scans users’ photos to look for child pornography. Although the scanning happens on users’ devices, critics have accused Apple of overstepping boundaries and creating software that could be abused by governments to spy on citizens. The scanning software only impacts iPhones in the U.S. at the moment.
Source: Washington Post Via: Engadget
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
