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

ronjor · Aug 15, 2019

Thursday August 15, 2019 3:36 pm PDT by Juli Clover

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.
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guest · Aug 16, 2019

Apple’s Lawsuit Against a Startup Shows How It Wants to Control the iPhone Hacking Market
August 16, 2019
https://www.vice.com/amp/en_us/article/d3a8jq/apple-corellium-lawsuit

Several security researchers who specialize in finding vulnerabilities and ways to exploit them lashed out at Apple on Twitter, saying that Apple's crackdown on Corellium would be like Microsoft or other operating system developers going after virtual machines, which are copies of operating systems that can run within other operating systems and are widely used in security research and for other legitimate purposes.

“Hackintosh considered harmful today eh? Lame. Quick way to spend all the goodwill they just built in the community,” wrote Bas Alberts on Twitter, who works at government contractor Immunity.
Matt Suiche, a well-known researcher who developed virtualization software in the past, tweeted: “Imagine what today's Cloud Computing landscape would look like if VMware had been sued by IBM or Microsoft back in 1998,” referring to the popular virtualization platform VMware.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment, but the company defended its position in the complaint, arguing [...] that Corellium’s “sole function” is to “enable the creation of “virtual” iOS-operated devices, running unauthorized copies of iOS.”
In other words, Apple really doesn’t like the idea of having security researchers using Corellium to find exploits that may end up being sold to exploit brokers such as Zerodium, or directly to governments like Azimuth Security does.
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guest · Oct 29, 2019

iPhone Emulation Company Sued by Apple Says It's Making iPhones Safer
October 29, 2019
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...y-sued-by-apple-says-its-making-iphones-safer

A startup that makes replicas of the iPhone that help hackers find vulnerabilities is accusing Apple of suing it in an attempt to shut it down. Corellium also fired back at Apple and claimed the company owes it $300,000.

On Monday, Corellium, the startup that was sued by Apple for alleged copyright infringement in August, filed its response to the lawsuit. Apple alleged that Corellium’s product is illegal, and helps researchers sell hacking tools based on software bugs found in iOS to government agencies that then use them to hack targets.

“Through its invitation-only research device program and this lawsuit, Apple is trying to control who is permitted to identify vulnerabilities, if and how Apple will address identified vulnerabilities, and if Apple will disclose identified vulnerabilities to the public at all,” Corellium argues in its response, echoing arguments made by the security research community.
In its response, Corellium essentially argues that using Apple’s code in Corellium is fair use and its product makes the world a better place by helping security researchers inspect the iPhone’s operating system, find flaws in it, and help Apple fix them
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guest · Nov 11, 2019

Corellium claims Apple sued it after acquisition talks fell through
Apple reportedly went to 'great lengths' to buy virtualisation outfit
November 11, 2019
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3083617/corellium-vs-apple-acqusition-talks

Virtualisation outfit Corellium claims Apple sued it after failing to acquire the company for a price it was willing to pay.

"Long before Apple accused Corellium of copyright infringement, Apple not only encouraged Corellium to continue developing its technology, but went to great lengths to acquire Corellium and its technology," Corellium stated in the document filed in the court.
"While Apple gladly accepted and utilised bugs submitted by Corellium as part of this programme, it broke its promise to pay for them. Finally, only after the parties could not agree on an acquisition purchase price, Apple announced its own competing product and soon after sued Corellium," it added.
The company believes Apple's behaviour with respect to security research is damaging, and that its behaviour toward Corellium shows Apple's desire to exclusively control the manner in which researchers discover security bugs in a mobile device's operating system.
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guest · Dec 30, 2019

Apple escalates legal fight with iOS virtualization tool provider Corellium
The researchers at Corellium are under legal assault by Apple, and the security firm has responded
December 30, 2019
https://appleinsider.com/articles/1...th-ios-virtualization-tool-provider-corellium

On December 27, Apple amended its lawsuit that it filed versus Corellium —a company that provides the frameworks of an iOS simulator used by security researchers. While Apple has stopped short of calling a jailbreak illegal, it is taking the tack that developing an emulator or similar iOS emulation to facilitate a jailbreaking tool's creation is a copyright infringement.

In the filing, Apple is clear about the approach that it will take at trial.
Apple also says that legitimate security researchers using the virtual iOS environment to test exploits isn't relevant to the case.

"[...] Corellium simply copies everything: the code, the graphical user interface, the icons—all of it, in exacting detail."
In response to the filing, Corellium has made a statement. It refutes that it is violating the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, and is using the suit as a test-case to clamp further down on jailbreaking and those who make the tools.

[...] Not only do researchers and developers rely on jailbreaking to protect end users, but Apple itself has directly benefited from the jailbreak community in a number of ways. Many of the features of iOS originally appeared as jailbreak tweaks and were copied by Apple, including dark mode, control center, and context menus. [...]
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Corellium: A statement from Amanda Gorton, CEO of Corellium, regarding Apple DMCA filing

guest · Feb 22, 2020

Apple Just Demanded Santander And A $50 Billion US Intelligence Contractor Reveal How They Use iPhone Hacking Tech
February 22, 2020
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...ctor-reveal-how-they-use-iphone-hacking-tech/

In a move that’s sure to raise eyebrows, Apple has subpoenaed Santander Bank and the $50 billion-valued intelligence contractor L3Harris Technologies for information on their use of Corellium, Forbes has learned.

In both subpoenas, which are not yet publicly available, Apple demands L3Harris subsidiary Azimuth Security and Santander provide data including: all communications between the companies and Corellium, details on how they use the iPhone-virtualizing technology, all internal communications about the use of the tech, all contracts, and all information they have on the startup’s cofounder Chris Wade.
Apple goes aggressive
That Apple is attempting to force two huge companies to cough up data on their use of Corellium shows how far the iPhone maker is willing to go in fighting companies it considers a threat to its copyrighted tech.
If Apple gets what it wants, it may gain access to iPhone vulnerabilities it didn’t know about, potentially leading to patches, but also possibly upsetting intelligence operations. That’s no small issue.
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Corellium’s lawyer: Apple is a bully
“Apple is trying to intimidate a Corellium supporter by subpoenaing his employer, Santander, even though Santander has no relationship to Corellium,” said David Hecht, Corellium’s counsel and partner at Pierce Bainbridge, who described Apple as a “bully.”

With lawyers accusing one another of various forms of aggression, this David v. Goliath court battle is starting to heat up.
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guest · May 5, 2020

Apple’s Copyright Lawsuit Has Created a ‘Chilling Effect’ on Security Research
May 5, 2020
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...t-corellium-chilling-effect-security-research

Last year, Apple accused a cybersecurity startup based in Florida of infringing its copyright by developing and selling software that allows customers to create virtual iPhone replicas.
The lawsuit, however, has already produced a tangible outcome: very few people, especially current and former customers and users, want to talk about Corellium, which sells the eponymous software that virtualizes iPhones and Android devices.

“Apple has created a chilling effect,” a security researcher familiar with Corellium's product, who asked to remain anonymous because he wasn’t allowed to talk to the press, told Motherboard.
“I don’t know if they intended it but when they name individuals at companies that have spoken in favor [of Corellium], I definitely believe retribution is possible,” the researcher added, referring to Apple’s subpoena to the spanish finance giant Santander Bank, which named an employee who had Tweeted about Corellium.
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guest · Dec 29, 2020

Apple Loses Copyright Claims in Lawsuit Against Corellium
December 29, 2020
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/29/apple-loses-lawsuit-against-corellium/

Corellium, a mobile device company that supports iOS, this week won a significant victory in its legal battle against Apple. Apple last year sued Corellium for copyright infringement because the Corellium software is designed to replicate iOS to allow security researchers to locate bugs and security flaws.

According to The Washington Post, a Florida judge threw out Apple's claims that Corellium had violated copyright law with its software. The judge said that Corellium successfully demonstrated that it operates under fair use terms.

"Weighing all the necessary factors, the Court finds that Corellium has met its burden of establishing fair use," Judge Smith wrote Tuesday's order. "Thus, its use of iOS in connection with the Corellium Product is permissible."
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guest · Aug 11, 2021

Apple drops its lawsuit against maker of iPhone emulation software
The move comes after Apple suffered a major court loss in the dispute.
August 11, 2021
https://www.engadget.com/apple-drop...ufacturer-of-i-phone-emulators-082100357.html

Apple has settled its 2019 lawsuit with Corellium, a company that build virtual iOS devices used security researchers to find bugs in iPhones and other iOS devices, the Washington Post has reported. The terms of the settlement weren't disclosed, but the agreement comes after Apple suffered a major court loss in the dispute in late 2020.

He wrote in his ruling that “the Court finds that Corellium has met its burden of establishing fair use," adding that its use of iOS in that context was permissible.
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guest · Aug 17, 2021

Apple files appeal notice in copyright lawsuit against cybersecurity firm
August 17, 2021
https://www.reuters.com/legal/trans...awsuit-against-cybersecurity-firm-2021-08-17/

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Tuesday filed a notice of appeal in a copyright case it brought against cybersecurity firm Corellium LLC in 2019.

Corellium sells tools to allow security researchers access to a "virtual" software-based version of the iPhone. In its suit, Apple alleged Corellium violated copyrights to its iOS operating system.
A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed many of Apple's claims in a summary judgment last year.
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Apple Files Lawsuit Against Virtualization Company Corellium for Illegally Replicating iOS and Apple

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