U.S. District Judge Ruled Against Apple

Apple is one of the famous tech companies in the world, thanks to its products and services. However, as a vast majority of famous companies, the Cupertino-based company is no stranger to lawsuits. It is worth mentioning that, a federal judge dismissed Apple Inc’s copyright infringement claims against a startup based in the state.

Interestingly, software developed by Corellium LLC helps security researchers find vulnerabilities in Apple products including the iPhone. It is worth noting that, Rodney Smith who serves as the U.S. District Judge ruled in favor of startup. According to a federal judge, its software emulating the iOS operating system that runs on the iPhone and iPad amounted to “fair use” because it was “transformative” and helped developers find security flaws.

As a reminder, the Cupertino-based company accused the security bug startup of essentially replicating iOS to create “virtual” iOS-operated devices, whose sole function was to run unauthorized copies of the system on non-Apple hardware.

However, the tech giant failed to persuade the judge. According to Rodney Smith, Correlium adds something new to iOS, by letting users see as well as halt running processes, take live snapshots, and conduct other operations. Moreover, Correlium’s profit motivation does not undermine its fair use defense, especially considering the public benefit of the product.

Apple and main findings

It is worth noting that, Rodney Smith  also did not agree with the company’s argument that the security bug startup acted in bad faith by selling its product indiscriminately, including potentially to hackers, and by not requiring users to report bugs to the company.

However, this argument also failed to convince the federal judge. According to the Fort Lauderdale-based judge, Apple did not impose a reporting requirement under its own Bug Bounty Program.

It is not surprising that Corellium has denied wrongdoing. This is not the end of the story, as the tech giant may still pursue a separate federal law claim that Corellium circumvented its security measures when creating its software.

The history of the security bug startup dates back to August 2017. Interestingly, the Cupertino-based tech giant tried to buy Corellium starting in January 2018, but talks collapsed by summer. As a reminder, the tech giant sued this startup in August 2019.

Cybersecurity is an integral part of the modern world. The U.S. tech giant should work with such companies to expose vulnerabilities. This way it will be easier to protect customers.