Beijing Rules To Ban iPhones In Patent Spat

Apple’s meteoric success in the Chinese market has hinged on a golden rule for foreign tech firms: stick to hardware, stay away from content, and you should be fine.

That premise broke down at the end of last week, when Beijing’s Intellectual Property Office revealed a ruling against Apple in a patent case brought by little-known Chinese smartphone vendor Shenzhen Baili. The Chinese company claims the iPhone 6 and 6s infringed on a patent held for their 100C phone.

The gravity of the order is enormous, as it could potentially halt sales of the iPhone 6 and 6s in Beijing. Apple says that they have appealed to a higher court, and the phones remain on sale across China. The case was settled late last month, though the decision was only revealed at the end of last week.

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