China ‘bans the import and sale’ of most iPhones, Qualcomm claims; Apple says iPhones still available

“A Chinese court ordered Apple Inc. to stop selling older iPhone models in the country after finding the tech giant infringed on two patents held by Qualcomm Inc., the chip supplier said Monday,” Tripp Mickle reports for The Wall Street Journal. “The Nov. 30 decision by a Chinese intellectual-property court is the first in the world’s largest smartphone market that seeks to curtail iPhone sales.”
“The import and sales ban didn’t appear to include Apple’s newest devices — the XS, XS Max and XR — because those weren’t on the market when the patent case was filed,” Mickle reports. “It wasn’t immediately clear when any such ban would take effect. Four models affected by the ban — the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8 and 8 Plus — were still on sale through Apple’s website in China as of Monday.
Read more in the full article here.
CNBC reports that Apple said in a statement: Qualcomm’s effort to ban our products is another desperate move by a company whose illegal practices are under investigation by regulators around the world. All iPhone models remain available for our customers in China. Qualcomm is asserting three patents they had never raised before, including one which has already been invalidated. We will pursue all our legal options through the courts.
MacDailyNews Take: Much ado about nothing, but certainly nice for those looking for an extremely low entry point into AAPL shares. The more shares Apple’s buyback program can scoop up during this period of wild irrationality, the better for Apple shareholders!
Qualcomm’s unreasonable, illogical, and irrational licensing scam, which charges a percentage of the total cost of all components in the phone, even non-Qualcomm components, must end.
SEE ALSO:
U.S. FTC seeking to ‘redress and prevent recurrence of Qualcomm’s conduct’ through antitrust injunction – December 3, 2018
Qualcomm CEO: We’re ‘on the doorstep’ of a resolution with Apple – November 28, 2018
Apple not in settlement talks ‘at any level’ with Qualcomm – November 7, 2018
Qualcomm claims Apple owes them $7 billion in royalties while Apple says 73% of Qualcomm’s patents have expired – October 27, 2018
Qualcomm seeks to keep patent claims out of legal fight with Apple – October 26, 2018
Qualcomm and U.S. FTC ask judge to delay ruling to pursue settlement talks – October 16, 2018