Apple has been battling Corellium in courts since August 2019 after a virtualization company began selling iOS virtual devices to security researchers. However, after its first defeat last year, Apple dropped a copyright lawsuit against Corellium and its software.
The news was first shared by the Washington Post, which claims the two companies have reached an agreement. At the same time, Corellium sent out an email to its sales department stating that its iOS virtual devices will remain on sale. The terms of the agreement with Apple are confidential. Both companies declined to comment publicly on the matter.
Corellium faced the prospect of years of costly and protracted lawsuits, and many in the security research community viewed Apple’s lawsuit as a “cold shower” for independent research.
Corellium software enables security experts to run virtualized iOS devices for research purposes. In a lawsuit filed in the South District of Florida, Apple argued that it was infringing on its copyright by selling copies of iOS without permission. Apple also claimed that hackers could use the Corellium platform to find ways to hack iPhones and iPads.
Despite its attempts, Apple suffered its biggest defeat in December 2020 when a federal judge said Corellium had “proven fair use of Apple’s code.” The Cupertino-based company continued to seek an injunction to stop the sale of virtual iOS devices but has now decided to drop the case.
At the beginning of this year, the Corellium platform became available to individual subscribers. Previously, only users with corporate accounts could request a virtualized iOS device. According to the company, each request is considered individually to avoid using software for malicious purposes.
