Apple Hit With iPhone Sales Ban in China, Qualcomm Says -- Update

By Tripp Mickle 

A Chinese court ordered Apple Inc. to stop selling older iPhone models in the country after finding the tech giant infringed on two patents held by Qualcomm Inc., the chip supplier said Monday.

The Nov. 30 decision by a Chinese intellectual-property court is the first in the world's largest smartphone market that seeks to curtail iPhone sales.

The preliminary injunction is the latest turn in a long-running legal dispute between Apple and Qualcomm. The San Diego chip company has brought more than a dozen cases against Apple over patent infringement in China.

Qualcomm said the Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court in China found Apple had infringed on two nonstandard essential patents: one related to photo editing and another to swiping on a touch-screen device.

The import and sales ban didn't appear to include Apple's newest devices -- the XS, XS Max and XR -- because those weren't on the market when the patent case was filed.

It wasn't immediately clear when any such ban would take effect. Four models affected by the ban -- the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8 and 8 Plus -- were still on sale through Apple's website in China as of Monday. Apple has stopped directly selling some other models affected, including the 6s, 6s Plus and X.

Write to Tripp Mickle at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 10, 2018 09:31 ET (14:31 GMT)

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