The agency found the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus infringed on a patent for the exterior design of a smartphone called the 100C made by a Chinese company, Shenzhen Baili.
Activist investor Carl Icahn also cast a spotlight on Apple's prospects in China earlier this year when he cited concerns about a sales slowdown in the country as the reason he decided to sell a large stake that he held built up in the company since 2013.
In a Friday research note, RBC's Daryanani predicted the patent dispute with Shenzhen Baili wouldn't depress Apple's revenue or profit margins in China.
