German shoppers looking to buy an older iPhone might be disappointed.
Apple said last week that it would pull the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models from its 15 retail stores in Germany while it appealed an unfavorable court ruling, Reuters reported.
A judge in Germany ruled Dec. 20 that iPhones with a chip from Apple supplier Qorvo violate a patent by chipmaker and longtime Apple supplier Qualcomm. Apple said it planned to appeal the decision, but would pull the iPhones 7 and 8 from Apple stores in Germany while it did so. The company said in a statement that all iPhone models would remain available to customers in Germany through carriers and resellers in more than 4,000 locations.
Germany is the second country to curb iPhone sales after complaints from Qualcomm. Earlier in December, a China court granted Qualcomm an injunction against Apple, banning the sale and import of most iPhone models in China. Apple immediately appealed the ban and said all iPhone models remained available for Chinese customers.
The Germany and China decisions are small wins for Qualcomm, which is being taken to court in the US by both Apple and antitrust regulators for allegedly working to maintain a monopoly on modem chips, which help mobile phones connect to wireless networks.
Amid the Qualcomm battle, Apple is also ramping up efforts to build its own chips. In early December, the company posted a job listing for a “Cellular Modem Systems Architect,” tech news site The Information reported (paywall). A person briefed on Apple’s plans confirmed to The Information that Apple has plans to build its own modem chip.