US tech giant Apple threatened to leave the UK market amid a $7 billion court battle with British patent holder Optis Cellular Technology, This is Money, a media outlet, reports.
According to the publication, if a British court rules that the company must pay a fee for the technology used in iPhones, it may reconsider its presence in the UK market, the company lawyers anticipate. However, the giant is unlikely to follow through with its threats, the media outlet writes.
Nevertheless, if the company decides to leave the market it would mean an end to new iPhone sales in the UK.
Optis Cellular Technology is battling Apple in court for patent infringement after it refused to pay licence fees.
Last month a High Court judge ruled that Apple had infringed two Optis patents, which help companies' phones connect to the 3G and 4G networks.
PanOptis owns several other subsidiaries, including Optis Wireless Technology, Optis Cellular Technology, Unwired Planet and Unwired Planet International. None of them manufacture any products, but they own a fairly large patent portfolio.