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US chip-maker Qualcomm claims it has won an injunction against Apple that effectively bans the import and sale of a number of iPhone models, ranging from the iPhone 6S to the iPhone X.

The preliminary order, issued by a Chinese court, is the latest step in a continuing feud between the two tech giants over intellectual property.

However, Apple says all of its iPhone models remain on sale in the country.

The disputed patents relate to software rather than hardware.

The injunction affects devices running older versions of Apple's iOS operating system and not those running the latest version, iOS 12.

The court found Apple had violated two of Qualcomm's patents - one regarding photograph resizing and the other related to how apps are managed on a touch screen.

"Apple continues to benefit from our intellectual property while refusing to compensate us," said Don Rosenberg, general counsel of Qualcomm.

However, Apple responded that the attempted ban was "another desperate move by a company whose illegal practices are under investigation by regulators around the world".

The company added it would "pursue all our legal options through the courts".

In January 2017, Apple filed two lawsuits against Qualcomm, claiming it had abused its dominant market position as a chip-maker.

In July the same year, Qualcomm claimed that iPhones using chips by rivals, such as Intel, infringed six of its patents.