Apple has finally reached a settlement in its long-running copyright lawsuit against Corellium, a company that creates virtual versions of iOS for security research purposes, according to a report from Forbes.
The lawsuit, which was first filed by Apple in 2019, claimed software virtualization firm Corellium had infringed on copyrights covering iOS, iTunes, and other Apple assets. Corellium claims it is the “first and only platform” that offers iOS, Android, and Linux virtualization on ARM.
Corellium advertised its virtualization product as a tool for developers ferreting out bugs, flaws, and other vulnerabilities in software and hardware. The tool was available on the web or as a $1 million-per-year “private” local installation. Apple said certain of the firm’s solutions use virtual versions of iOS devices running what Apple calls unauthorized copies of iOS.
The firm’s tools allow users to create a virtual iOS device in the cloud – support includes the latest iPhone and iPad models – and they can then load an iOS build directly from Apple’s servers, which creates a “fully functioning” replica device. Users can make multiple copies of a virtual device and its software.
While Corellium touted its software product as running “real iOS — with real bugs that have real exploits,” Apple had not licensed iOS, iTunes, or its user interface technologies for use by Corellium.
For its part, Corellium defended its actions under fair use, saying its replication of iOS was used solely for security research. Apple agreed to drop the lawsuit in 2021 but then filed an appeal that challenged an earlier ruling that came down in favor of Corellium’s fair use claims.
The court announced this week that Apple and Corellium have come to a confidential settlement, ending the years-long legal battle.