Apple
‘s
AAPL
copyright infringement lawsuit against cyber-security startup, Corellium has been recently dismissed by Judge Rodney Smith in Florida, per a Washington Post
report
. Corellium offers a virtualized version of iOS for security testing, thus giving experts deeper access to iOS even without a physical iPhone.
Apple claimed that Corellium had violated copyright law with its software, which helps security researchers find bugs and security holes on Apple’s products.
The judge in the case ruled that Corellium’s creation of virtual iPhones was not a copyright violation, in part because it was designed to help improve security for all iPhone users. Corellium wasn’t creating a competing product for consumers. Rather, it was a research tool for a comparatively small number of customers.
Meanwhile, the judge has deferred the ruling over Apple’s charges that Corellium circumvented Apple’s security measures to create the software, thereby violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
The ruling, if upheld, will limit Apple’s efforts to exercise full control of its iPhone software and its ability to force third parties to use its proprietary security research tools.
Recently, Apple launched the Security Research Device (SRD) Program that sends qualified security experts hacker-friendly iPhones they can use to find bugs in iOS itself and in third-party apps. Apple sent out its first batch of SRD iPhones a few days ago and is expected to accept more applicants into the program in the future.
Increasing Legal Woes of Tech Giants
Tech giants have been facing tougher scrutiny as regulators and lawmakers probe the industry’s behavior. Apple has been increasingly facing antitrust investigations and lawsuits over patents, user privacy and App Store-related lawsuits among others.
This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company has argued that the case is similar to the billion-dollar dispute between
Oracle
ORCL
and
Alphabet’s
GOOGL
Google, in which an appeals court rejected Google’s arguments that it had the right to copy Oracle code for inclusion into the Android operating system. The Supreme Court is considering the issue. You can see
the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here
.
Meanwhile, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google for colluding with
Facebook
FB
in an illegal deal to manipulate auctions for online advertising.
Additionally, a recent leak of internal documents found that Google was proposing actions that would counter the strict EU rules on Internet companies and even lobbying against the EU commissioner.
Moreover, the Department of Justice (DoJ) issued an
antitrust lawsuit against Google
on Oct 20, suggesting that the company is unlawfully maintaining monopolies in the markets for general search services, search advertising, and general search text advertising in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with the 46 states, the District of Columbia and Guam have filed a lawsuit against Facebook, questioning the 2012 acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion and the subsequent 2014 acquisition of WhatsApp for $19 billion.
FTC claims such buyouts to be a strategy to neutralize the threat on Facebook’s monopoly power over social media.
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