Apple Inc (AAPL.O) failed to convince a U.S. appeals court on Monday that security company Corellium Inc infringed its copyrights by emulating iOS to assist researchers in uncovering security weaknesses in Apple devices.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Corellium legitimately duplicated Apple’s technology under fair use, advancing security research and science. The corporations did not reply to requests for comment on the ruling.
Florida-based Corellium’s software lets users run iOS on non-Apple devices and analyze and change it to help security experts find flaws. Apple sued Corellium for copyright infringement in South Florida federal court in 2019.
The appellate court found Apple failed to purchase Corellium for approximately $23 million before bringing the complaint. 2020’s district court denied Apple’s iOS simulator accusations. Apple appealed in 2021.
On Monday, the 11th Circuit noted Corellium’s software helps security researchers “do their work in a way that physical iPhones just can’t.”
Apple claimed that Corellium repackaged iOS for profit, hurting its operating system and security-research projects. The appeals court disagreed.
Corellium “opened the door for deeper security research into operating systems like iOS,” the circuit court said.
The appeals court remanded the case to the district court to determine if Corellium infringed Apple’s icon and wallpaper copyrights or led to third-party infringement.
