Apple says that iPhone remains on sale in China after a court ban – TechCrunch

Apple has filed an appeal to oppose a court decision to ban iPhone sales in China, said the company on Monday and added that all models are available on its third largest market.

The American giant is locked in a legal battle in the world's largest smartphone market. On Monday, Qualcomm announced that a court in Fujian province has imposed a provisional ban on the import and sale of old iPhone models in China because they broke two patents owned by the US chip maker.

The current patents relate to features that allow consumers to edit images and manage apps on the smartphone touchscreen, according to Qualcomm.

"Apple continues to benefit from our intellectual property rights and refuses to compensate us. These legal orders are further confirmation of the strength of Qualcomm's major patent portfolio," said Don Rosenberg, Executive Vice President and General Advisor for Qualcomm.

Apple fought back in a statement who called Qualcomm's attempt to ban their products "Another desperate move on a company whose illegal actions are being investigated by regulators worldwide. "It also claimed that Qualcomm claims three patents they had never raised before, including one that has already been void.

It is unclear about this final impact the court ban will have on Apple's sales in China.

The case is a part of an ongoing global patent dispute between Qualcomm and Apple, as it previously tried to block iPhone production and sales in China over patent issues related to payments last year.

Qualcomm shares increased 3 percent on Monday. Apple opened down more than 2 percent before it ended 0.7 percent. Citi lowered its Apple price target to $ 200 per share from $ 240 per share and says in a note to investors that although it does not expect China to ban or impose additional tariffs on Apple , "this will occur Apple has significant exposure to China." [1[ads1]9659002] Apple case comes as the technical giant is facing increasing competition in China, representing 18 percent of its total sales from The US company's market share in China shrank from 7.2 percent to 6.7 percent the year before in the second quarter, when local competitors Huawei and Oppo gained more ground, according to market research firm IDC.

The annual decline is due to Apple's high prices, IDC suggests, but the name "is still very strong in China" and "the company will go well if there are less cheaper alternatives later this year."