AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission for purchases made through links on our site.
Apple can now do the iPhone 14 in Colombia, and all of its 5G devices, after an appeals court lifted a preliminary injunction over a patent dispute with Ericsson.
Apple and Ericsson have one tumultuous history from agreeing deals and disputing arrangements, to the extent that a full process will begin in June 2023. That is the expected date for a US trial, but the two companies have also filed international disputes, including in Colombia.
In April 2022, the Juzgado 042 Civil del Circuito de Bogota in Colombia’s capital ruled that Apple’s 5G hardware infringes a patent issued to Ericsson. Consequently, in July 2022the court ordered a preliminary injunction to prohibit Apple from selling 5G devices.
Now, according to FOSS patentsthe Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Judicial District of Bogotá DC decided to leave the order and to refuse the “provisional exemption requested by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson”.
The appeals court has reportedly ruled that Apple has made additional arguments since the original injunction. The court no longer finds it reasonable to uphold the order.
Those arguments include Apple’s position that the patent in question is invalid, as well as that there are “significant differences” between Ericsson’s claim and the disputed 5G standard.
Colombia does not yet support 5G networks, but Apple is now allowed to sell the iPhone 14 range in the country. That means it wouldn’t be able to release the iPhone 14 there until two to three months later its launch September 2022.