Apple Files Lawsuit Against Virtualization Company Corellium for Illegally Replicating iOS and Apple Apps

[MacRumors]

Apple today filed a lawsuit against Corellium, a mobile device virtualization company that supports iOS. Corellium describes itself as the "first and only platform" that offers iOS, Android, and Linux virtualization on ARM.

In the lawsuit, filed today in the Southern District of Florida, Apple accuses Corellium of copyright infringement for illegally replicating the operating system and applications that run on the iPhone and the iPad.

A virtual iPhone on Corellium's website used as evidence in Apple's lawsuit against the company​

Corellium's business is based entirely on commercializing the illegal replication of the copyrighted operating system and applications that run on Apple's iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices. The product Corellium offers is a "virtual" version of Apple mobile hardware products, accessible to anyone with a web browser.

Specifically, Corellium serves up what it touts as a perfect digital facsimile of a broad range of Apple's market-leading devices--recreating with fastidious attention to detail not just the way the operating system and applications appear visually to bona fide purchasers, but also the underlying computer code. Corellium does so with no license or permission from Apple.

According to Apple, Corellium's iOS virtualization product infringes on Apple's copyrights. "Corellium has simply copied everything: the code, the graphical user interface, the icons -- all of it, in exacting detail," reads the lawsuit.

Corellium's product creates digital replicas of iOS, iTunes, and user interface elements available on a web-based platform or a custom platform built by Corellium. It is designed to create virtual iOS devices for the purpose of running iOS, and at the recent Black Hat USA conference, Corellium emphasized that its "Apple product" is an exact copy of iOS, able to allow researchers and hackers to find and test vulnerabilities.

Apple goes on to say that though Corellium poses its product as a research tool for those aiming to discover security vulnerabilities, the company's actual goal is "profiting off its blatant infringement" by encouraging users to sell discovered information on the open market to the highest bidder.

Apple says it does not want to encumber "good-faith security research" but instead is aiming to end Corellium's "unlawful commercialization of Apple's valuable copyrighted works."

On information and belief, Corellium makes no effort whatsoever to confine use of its product to good-faith research and testing of iOS. Nor does Corellium require its users to disclose any software bugs they find to Apple, so that Apple may correct them. Instead, Corellium is selling a product for profit, using unauthorized copies of Apple's proprietary software, that it avowedly intends to be used for any purpose, without limitation, including for the sale of software exploits on the open market.

Apple is seeking a permanent injunction to prevent Corellium from continuing to offer a product that replicates iOS. Apple also wants Corellium to destroy all infringing materials that it's collected, and pay Apple damages, lost profits, and attorney fees.

Apple Inc. vs. Corellium, LLC by MacRumors on Scribd​

Article Link: Apple Files Lawsuit Against Virtualization Company Corellium for Illegally Replicating iOS and Apple Apps

 

[iBluetooth]

They have a policy against others of respecting their "intellectual property"! https://corellium.com/ip

 

[dennyc69]

Apple has a good case against them, I suspect Corellium won't have much of a chance defending themselves. You can't recreate someone's intellectual property without asking, especially code that is owned by Apple.

 

[Jimmy James]

This is virtually a locked down case.

 

[DrJohnnyN]

Nice. Dropping the hammer on them.

 

[benthere16]

So what are they doing here? Did they decompile / recompile iOS with changes so it'll run on standard ARM procs?

 

[Saipher]

Corellium emphasized that its "Apple product" is an exact copy of iOS, able to allow researchers and hackers to find and test vulnerabilities.

Sounds like Apple should just buy them and use the virtual iOS as a tool for developers and researchers looking for exploits, better than handing out locked down devices to everyone.

 

[GCHASE1995]

Honestly. They should lay the groundwork and the user provides the firmware. Just like an emulator

 

[iMi]

They have a policy against others of respecting their "intellectual property"! https://corellium.com/ip

You mean respecting Apples intellectual property. I did sense the sarcasm in your post, I hope.

 

[CarlJ]

That... that right there is a product with a giant "Kick Me" sign on it. How did they not think Apple was going to sue them into oblivion?

 

[keysofanxiety]

Apple has a good case against them, I suspect Corellium won't have much of a chance defending themselves. You can't recreate someone's intellectual property without asking, especially code that is owned by Apple.

Yep, it’s the standard and ubiquitous software licence agreement concerning anything digital. No way in heck Corellium can stand up in court. Game over.

 

[macfacts]

Apple has a good case against them, I suspect Corellium won't have much of a chance defending themselves. You can't recreate someone's intellectual property without asking, especially code that is owned by Apple.

I suspect Corellium didn't copy one line of code and wrote it themselves from scratch. The only thing copied were icons and graphics.

 

[keysofanxiety]

I suspect Corellium didn't copy one line of code and wrote it themselves from scratch. The only thing copied were icons and graphics.

I hate to be that “read the article” guy, but dude... read the article.

Corellium has simply copied everything: the code, the graphical user interface, the icons -- all of it, in exacting detail," reads the lawsuit.

Corellium emphasized that its "Apple product" is an exact copy of iOS, able to allow researchers and hackers to find and test vulnerabilities.

 

[Doctor Q]

Apple's claims of infringement sound legitimate, but this phrase seems over the top to me:

Corellium makes no effort whatsoever to confine use of its product to good-faith research and testing of iOS.​

Suppose for a minute that they hadn't violated Apple's IP and were instead offering this service with a license from Apple. If a product or service like this can be used for both proper and improper or illegal purposes, must the company make efforts to "confine the use" to proper purposes, and be legally liable or subject to lawsuits if they do not?

 

[horsebattery]

I suspect Corellium didn't copy one line of code and wrote it themselves from scratch. The only thing copied were icons and graphics.

That would entirely refute their claim to allow researchers to discover vulnerabilities in iOS.

 

[wilee]

Sounds like Apple should just buy them and use the virtual iOS as a tool for developers and researchers looking for exploits, better than handing out locked down devices to everyone.

That is most likely the only purpose of their product - "to be sold"

But it's no brainer that lawsuit from Apple may have also the only purpose - to lower price

 

[Gutwrench]

Did MR reach out to Corellium for comment?

 

[mattyj2001]

Sounds like Apple should just buy them and use the virtual iOS as a tool for developers and researchers looking for exploits, better than handing out locked down devices to everyone.

I feel like Apple already has a product with a virtual iOS device on it. I feel like I launch it 100 times a day when debugging Swift code. Maybe it's just me that has it, though.

Wondering what the utility is for having this on ARM in the first place.

 

[Glockworkorange]

This is virtually a locked down case.

I see that.
[doublepost=1565912033][/doublepost]

Apple's claims of infringement sound legitimate, but this phrase seems over the top to me:

Corellium makes no effort whatsoever to confine use of its product to good-faith research and testing of iOS.​

Suppose for a minute that they hadn't violated Apple's IP and were instead offering this service with a license from Apple. If a product or service like this can be used for both proper and improper or illegal purposes, must the company make efforts to "confine the use" to proper purposes, and be legally liable or subject to lawsuits if they do not?

It's a lawsuit. The party filing doesn't file some fair and balanced accounting of the situation---they file a version of the facts that places them in the best possible light and paints the other guy in the worst possible light. Corellium will file an Answer and probably it's own counter-claim and the language against Apple will be just as slanted.

 

[alien3dx]

Apple's claims of infringement sound legitimate, but this phrase seems over the top to me:

Corellium makes no effort whatsoever to confine use of its product to good-faith research and testing of iOS.​

Suppose for a minute that they hadn't violated Apple's IP and were instead offering this service with a license from Apple. If a product or service like this can be used for both proper and improper or illegal purposes, must the company make efforts to "confine the use" to proper purposes, and be legally liable or subject to lawsuits if they do not?

I really wonder if true because it will be greater then apple xcode.. We want if can run native arm emulator.

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Apple has a good case against them, I suspect Corellium won't have much of a chance defending themselves. You can't recreate someone's intellectual property without asking, especially code that is owned by Apple.

Great artists steal though

 

[anshuvorty]

Sounds like Apple should just buy them and use the virtual iOS as a tool for developers and researchers looking for exploits, better than handing out locked down devices to everyone.

You could consider the following question as me being innept, but can't you already virtualize iOS in Xcode? If so, then buying this company is worthless, because they don't add anything of value to Apple.

 

[alien3dx]

You could consider the following question as me being innept, but can't you already virtualize iOS in Xcode? If so, then buying this company is worthless, because they don't add anything of value to Apple.

Xcode simulator not emulator

 

[Suttree]

Poor Apple. You dummies gonna pay up cash to Google for stealing Notification Center from them? Annnnd 99% of all the other things you’ve stolen from Android, you dirty thieves? Year after year after year.

 

[dragoon2745]

Does Apple win money from this or do they only get to shut them down?