“Apple Inc filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm Inc in Beijing, alleging the chip supplier abused its clout in the chip industry and seeking 1 billion yuan ($145.32 million) in damages, Beijing’s Intellectual Property Court said in a statement on Wednesday,” Diane Bartz reports for Reuters. “Apple also filed a second lawsuit against Qualcomm which accused it of failing to live up to promises made to license ‘standard essential patents’ broadly and inexpensively.”
“The lawsuits follow a decision by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint on Jan. 17 in which it accused Qualcomm of using anticompetitive tactics to maintain its monopoly of a key semiconductor used in mobile phones,” Bartz reports. “Apple followed with a related lawsuit last Friday. It asked a federal court in California for $1 billion in promised rebates and accused Qualcomm of overcharging for chips.”
Bartz reports, “The chip maker faces legal challenges across the globe.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Qualcomm is feeling the heat now!
Qualcomm’s ridiculous licensing scheme isn’t long for this world.
SEE ALSO:
Qualcomm comments on Apple’s lawsuits in China – January 25, 2017
Apple’s rebellion against the ‘Qualcomm Tax’ – January 24, 2017
Despite lawsuit, Qualcomm wants to keep doing business – January 24, 2017
Why Apple, the FTC, and others are attacking Qualcomm’s royalty model – January 24, 2017
Here are the most damning parts of Apple’s blockbuster lawsuit against Qualcomm – January 23, 2017
Apple’s legal assault on Qualcomm part of iPhone margin grab – January 23, 2017
Qualcomm says Apple’s claims are ‘baseless’ in response to Cupertino’s $1 billion lawsuit – January 21, 2017
Apple sues Qualcomm for $1 billion over onerous licensing practices – January 20, 2017
Qualcomm exec says FTC ‘rushed’ antitrust lawsuit before President-elect Trump’s inauguration – January 19, 2017
FTC alleges Qualcomm forced Apple into iPhone LTE chip deals – January 18, 2017
FTC charges Qualcomm with monopolizing key smartphone chip; alleges extracted exclusivity from Apple in exchange for reduced patent royalties – January 17, 2017
After eating Intel’s mobile lunch, Apple could next devour Qualcomm’s Baseband Processor business – January 20, 2015
Analyst: Apple’s going to dump Intel modems if they keep lagging Qualcomm – December 5, 2016
Yes, Apple is throttling download speeds for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Verizon and Sprint versions – November 19, 2016
Apple’s modem choices may leave Verizon iPhone users feeling throttled – November 18, 2016
Tests show iPhone 7 Plus models with Qualcomm modem perform significantly better than those with Intel modem – October 20, 2016
Apple’s going all in on this one, probably hoping for a quick out-of-court settlement with Qualcomm. It’s like the Art of War. The greatest victory is the one you never have to fight.
If it weren’t for the Intel modem chips, Apple would have zero leverage on this. Even if Qualcomm paid, they would get it back one way or another. You can thank Intel for this.
I agree that having the Intel alternative chips for modems has emboldened Apple in this matter, but I very strongly suspect that this dispute is a sign that Apple is getting close to having it’s own baseband radio chip ready. When that happens, Apple would not want to pay royalties to Qualcomm which are comparable to what they pay at the moment for the entire Qualcomm chipset including royalties.