Apple has been battling with Corellium in court for a long time as the company sells virtual iOS devices without having any authorization to do so. However, Apple faced a major defeat this week as a US court ruled that Corellium is not infringing any copyrights with its products.
Apple v. Corellium and the dispute over iOS virtual machines
The case was opened in August 2019 and both companies almost reached a settlement in 2021, but the dispute continued. As reported by Bloomberg, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled on Monday that Corellium’s CORSEC simulator is protected by the “fair use doctrine” of copyright law. This doctrine ensures that copyrighted works can be replicated in some situations.
Corellium argues that its virtual machines running iOS serve only security research purposes, and the court agrees. A three-judge panel said that Corellium’s products “furthers scientific progress by allowing security research into important operating systems.” The court also added that iOS is a “functional operating software that falls outside copyright’s core.”
As a result, Corellium can continue to provide iOS virtual machines to its customers, and Apple won’t be able to sue the company for it. Back in 2020, a federal judge had already ruled that Corellium made fair use of the iOS code.
Corellium’s software lets security experts run virtualized iOS devices for research purposes. Unsurprisingly, Apple claims that Corellium is selling copies of iOS without authorization, while also helping hackers find ways to attack iPhone and iPad users. Interestingly, this might also set precedent for developers to emulate iOS on other platforms without being sued.
Corellium’s iOS virtual machines are available via a subscription for enterprise or individual customers. However, the company reviews each request in order to prevent the use of its software for malicious purposes. Prices range from $99 to $295 for individual users depending on the hardware they need to virtualize.
You can find more details about Corellium’s platform on the company’s website.
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