Apple was unsuccessful in convincing a US appeals court that Corellium Inc had violated its copyrights by simulating its iOS operating system to aid researchers in identifying security vulnerabilities in Apple devices on Monday.
The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Corellium’s recreation of Apple’s system fell under fair use in accordance with US copyright doctrine, and could aid in important security research.
Related: Apple Loses Copyright Suit Against Corellium
Corellium, a company based in Florida, offers software that enables users to run iOS on non-Apple devices and analyze and alter the operating system for improved security research. In 2019, Apple filed a lawsuit against Corellium for copyright infringement in South Florida federal court.
The appeals court stated that Apple attempted to purchase Corellium for almost $23 million but was unsuccessful before proceeding with the lawsuit.
In 2020, the district court dismissed Apple’s claims regarding Corellium’s iOS simulator. In 2021, Apple filed an appeal.
The appeals court rejected Apple’s arguments that Corellium simply repackaged iOS in a different format for profit, harming Apple’s market for its operating system and its security-research programs.
