Apple has lost a lawsuit it filed against an independent iPhone repair service provider in Norway. Last year, Henrik Huseby was served with a letter demanding that he cease his repair operation—in which he was using aftermarket, third-party components—and pay the company a settlement fee of 27,700 Norwegian krone ($3,515).
Not content with that, Apple also intercepted and seized a delivery of replacement iPhone 6 and 6S screens en route to Huseby’s shop from Asia, having received a tip-off from Norway customs officials. Huseby fought Apple’s lawyers and won. The company has appealed against the decision in a higher court but a decision on the future of the case has yet to be made. Apple has an authorised repair service programme, where providers can pay a fee in order to offer certain repairs to iPhone customers using authentic parts provided by the company.
Just last week, the United States’ Federal Trade Commission prohibited the voiding of warranties for using unauthorised repair services. (Federal Trade Commission Clamps Down on Warranty Void Stickers)
