 |
| Apple is losing the battle with startup Corellium |
Apple lost its initial challenges in a lawsuit against Corellium, a security startup that provides a virtualized version of iOS for security testing.
A federal judge in Florida denied Apple's copyright infringement claims against the startup, whose program could help security researchers discover vulnerabilities in Apple products.
US District Court Judge Rodney Smith (Rodney Smith) has expressed support for Corellium: Its software mimics the iOS operating system through the iPhone and iPad, so it has a beneficial use because it is transformative and can help you developers find vulnerabilities.
Apple has accused Corellium of copying the iOS system primarily in order to create an iOS virtual device, and its only function is to run unauthorized copies of the system on non-Apple devices.
However, the judge said: Corellium has added new functionality to iOS by allowing users to view and pause running processes, take snapshots in real time, and run others.
Smith (Smith) wrote: Corellium's profit motive has not detracted from the fair use defenses, particularly given the product's overall benefits.
The judge found that other features of the Corellium tool improved the reasons for its use, particularly the ability to tweak the kernel or monitor and stop processes.
The judge also denied claims by Apple that the startup had acted inappropriately, that the company had randomly sold its products, including the ability to sell products to hackers, and that users had not reported bugs to Apple.
The judge said Apple had failed to fulfill its reporting requirements under its bug reward program.
Corelium denies any wrongdoing. (Justin Levin) One of his attorneys said: The fair dealing ruling was correct.
According to Smith, Apple can still comply with federal law, saying Corellium bypassed security measures when creating the software.
Corellium was founded in August 2017. According to court records, Apple attempted to purchase Corellium as of January 2018, but negotiations stalled this summer.
Apple sued the startup security firm in August 2019 over copyright issues and added suspected violations of the Millennium Copyright Act to the case in January of the following year.
Apple insists that the aim of this case is not to prevent well-intentioned security investigations but to prevent the illegal sale of Corellium in exchange for Apple's valuable business.
The judge upheld the DMCA ruling, but the result still represented a major setback in Apple's lawsuit.