Apple urged a federal appeals court Wednesday to block its confidential patent-licensing agreements from reaching attorneys for a Chinese smartphone maker, reports the Courthouse News Service.
The Fifth Circuit panel wants to know why paint licensing agreements between Apple and the defunct Blueberry Corp. should be circulated the counsel of Xiaomi, a Chinese-based rival to the iPhone maker.
The case, Apple Inc. v. Key Patent Innovations Ltd. et al. , centers on a lower court order forcing BlackBerry to hand over licensing contracts for standard-essential patents. Those deals are needed by appellants Key Patent Innovations Ltd. and Malikie Innovations to support their patent disputes against Xiaomi in courts in Germany and India, according to the Courthouse News Service. A magistrate judge in Texas allowed limited disclosure to two vetted Xiaomi in-house attorneys, rejecting Apple’s demand for stricter “outside counsel only” protections. During oral arguments before a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit, Apple argued the ruling wrongly exposed its sensitive pricing information to a direct rival.
“Apple would be gravely harmed if its highly confidential licensing agreements are exported for use in litigation in India and Germany and handed over to in-house personnel of its direct competitor,” attorney Joseph R. Palmore told the court, saying the requested documents include “highly confidential licensing agreements” involving standard-essential patents.
Recent court records from March 2026 show that Apple has had patent licensing agreements with BlackBerry, specifically involving standard-essential patents. However, BlackBerry did not partner with Apple to build devices; instead, BlackBerry famously lost market share to Apple before pivoting entirely to software, licensing its brand to other manufacturers
Initially leading the emerging smartphone market in the late 2000s, Blackberry Corp. struggled to gain a lasting presence against the iPhone and Android phones. In 2022, BlackBerry discontinued support for BlackBerry 10, ending their presence in the smartphone market.
I hope you’ll help support Apple World Today by becoming a patron. Almost all our income is from Patreon support and sponsored posts. Patreon pricing ranges from $2 to $10 a month. Thanks in advance for your support.
