Apple and Corellium Reach Settlement in iOS Replication Lawsuit

Apple has reached a settlement in its multi-year copyright lawsuit against Corellium, a company known for creating virtual versions of iOS for security research purposes, Forbes reports.

iPhone 13 Security
The lawsuit, initiated by Apple in 2019, accused Corellium of infringing upon its copyrights by replicating iOS. Corellium's technology allowed security researchers and developers to run virtual iPhones, enabling them to probe iOS outside of Apple's own security measures. This capability was at the core of Apple's allegations, claiming that Corellium's software not only replicated iOS but also served as an alternative to Apple's security research products.

Corellium defended its actions under fair use, asserting that its replication of iOS was solely for the purpose of security research and was substantially transformative. In 2021, Apple agreed to drop its claims but then filed an appeal that challenged an earlier ruling in favor of Corellium's fair use claim.

This week, the court announced that both Apple and Corellium have ultimately come to a confidential settlement, bringing the prolonged dispute to an end.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
macbook air march 2020

Apple Says Final Intel MacBook Air and Apple Watch Series 5 Now 'Vintage'

Wednesday December 31, 2025 8:39 am PST by
Apple today added the final 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Intel processors, the Apple Watch Series 5, and additional products to its vintage products list. The iPhone 11 Pro was also added to the list after the iPhone 11 Pro Max was added back in September. The full list of products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list today: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) iPhone 8 Plus 128GB ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...

Top Rated Comments

0339327 Avatar
27 months ago
While I understand that Apple doesn’t want this, it seems that Corellium has a legitimate purpose that serves to help better the product.

What I find surprising is that Apple didn’t agree to work with Corellium as a partner, instead, forcing them to recreate the OS.

Whatever the settlement is, I hope it allows the research to continue unabated.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shirasaki Avatar
27 months ago

Whatever the settlement is, I hope it allows the research to continue unabated.
Those involved would be more than happy to know what kind of change to Corellium’s ToC and all the string attached because of this confidential settlement, and the impact of this settlement to their research.

With that being said, we badly need strong individual entities outside Apple to see how ugly iOS is in its security and patch those vulnerabilities before government and hackers find them out and exploit for nefarious purposes.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nathan_reilly Avatar
27 months ago

Well, if you're uploading their software on the internet without paying them, they won't be happy!
this is not at all what this is about. To frame this like it's a high schooler pirating videogames is disingenuous and uncharitable to the extreme
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Steve121178 Avatar
27 months ago

What I find surprising is that Apple didn’t agree to work with Corellium as a partner
They probably didn't want them finding too many holes in the security & prefer security issues to be something they curate and highlight rather than the broader community exposing their software willy nilly.

But I can understand they didn't want them creating virtual versions. However, if it helps plug the holes in security it's completely bizarre to be against this.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spcopsmac21 Avatar
27 months ago

So what is Corellium’s business model? Find security flaws on iOS and sell them on the dark web?
No….not at all.
It helped developers better design and implements applications and patch loose holes in systems and code in order to get full utilization of the operating system.

They didn’t sell back doors or holes. The whole thing was designed to BLOCK back doors and hole and find flaws that would enable nefarious actors into doing what you said…..
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lkrupp Avatar
27 months ago
So what is Corellium’s business model? Find security flaws on iOS and sell them on the dark web?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)