Apple has suffered a new blow in China after a court banned the sale of certain iPhones amid a patent spat with the microchip company Qualcomm.

The Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court has granted two injunctions against Apple subsidiaries in China, ordering the company to cease imports and and sales of iPhones from 2015’s iPhone 6s to last year’s iPhone X, Qualcomm said. This year’s iPhone XS and XR phones would not be affected.

Apple played down the ruling, saying it only applied to phones that were running older versions of its software and that as a result all of its iPhone models would remain on sale. However, shares in the company fell and analysts said the decision could spell more trouble for the company in China amid a mounting trade war.

Qualcomm, which designs mobile phone network technology and microprocessors, has been locked in an escalating legal battle with Apple since the iPhone maker refused to pay royalties to Qualcomm last year.

The two companies are suing each other in multiple courts around the world, seeking billions in damages. Apple claims that Qualcomm is illegally demanding manufacturers pay excessive royalties for use of its network technology, while Qualcomm accuses Apple of violating patents.