Apple ordered to pull part of press release in Qualcomm
case
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[January 19, 2019]
(Reuters) - Apple Inc has been ordered by a
German court to stop using part of a press release claiming all iPhones
would be available in the country through carriers and resellers, a copy
of the ruling seen by Reuters showed.
The iPhone maker was banned from selling the iPhone 7 and 8 models in
Germany in December following a patent dispute with Qualcomm Inc.
Qualcomm on Thursday obtained the preliminary injunction stopping Apple
from using a statement that it released to the press in response to the
December ruling.
At the time, the iPhone maker said that it would no longer stock the
iPhone 7 and 8 at its 15 retail outlets in Germany but those models
would remain available to customers through more than 4,300 carriers and
resellers across Germany.
"The press release ... is misleading as it contains statements that are
at least potentially deceptive about the availability of the goods,
namely the iPhones affected by the ruling," a three-judge panel wrote in
the latest ruling.
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Apple's logo is seen outside flagship store downtown Milan, Italy,
October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
The judges said Apple's press release gives consumers and retailers the false
impression of unlimited availability of the phones.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. Qualcomm said "the
order speaks for itself".
(Reporting by Sonam Rai in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Jan Wolfe and Tina
Bellon; Editing by Maju Samuel)
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