Court: Deutsche Telekom Must Sell iPhone Minus Contract

No exclusive deal with Apple allowed
By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 21, 2007 2:49 PM CST
Court: Deutsche Telekom Must Sell iPhone Minus Contract
Chief of Vodafone Germany Friedrich Joussen talks to the media at a press conference in Duesseldorf, Germany, Thursday, July 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)   (Associated Press)

Deutsche Telekom can't force customers to buy a phone contract from them if they buy an iPhone in Germany, says a German court decision in a suit brought by rival carrier Vodafone, reports the Financial Times. DT says they will start offering the phones without a contract immediately, but they will still cost 600 Euros less if the buyer signs up.

Deutsche Telekom also says that they will appeal the decision. “We are confident that courts will back us. We had this assessed by our lawyers beforehand,” says a spokesman. The iPhone will go on sale in France next Thursday, but laws there already prohibited Apple from making an exclusive deal with any one carrier. (More iPhone stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X