Apple has resumed selling the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 in Germany amid its ongoing legal tussle with chipmaker Qualcomm.
As part of the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm, German stores will now be selling iPhones without any Intel components, reads a new report from Reuters. Apple claims that it now has “no choice” but to use Qualcomm’s chips in order to be able to sell its phones in the country.
“We are as committed as ever to standing up for innovation and we will continue to fight for what’s right,” the Cupertino company said in a statement.
“Qualcomm is attempting to use injunctions against our products to try to get Apple to succumb to their extortionist demands,” an Apple spokesperson said. “In many cases, they are using patents they purchased or that have nothing to do with their cellular technology to harass Apple and other industry players.”
“To ensure all iPhone models can again be available to customers in Germany, we have no choice but to stop using Intel chips and ship our phones with Qualcomm chips in Germany,” the spokesperson continues. “Qualcomm is working to eliminate competition by any means they can, harming consumers and stifling industry innovation along the way.”
Back in December, Apple stopped selling the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 in Germany after the company lost a patent infringement lawsuit against Qualcomm. The Intel chips used on the devices were apparently infringing Qualcomm’s patents, and Apple was forced to stop selling the products immediately.
However, it’s not Intel that violated Qualcomm’s patent rights but Qorvo Inc., an Apple supplier which produced the tech for saving battery power on devices while transmitting wireless signals. The iPhone maker began using modems from Intel in 2016 after years of exclusive partnership with Qualcomm.
“Intel’s modem products are not involved in this lawsuit and are not subject to this or any other injunction,” Intel said in a statement.
