Qualcomm’s lawsuit with the United States Federal Trade Commission isn’t the only lawsuit that the company needs to take care of as Apple has apparently launched a lawsuit of its own against the chipmaker over royalty disputes.
According to a report by CNBC, Apple claims that Qualcomm has been “charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with.” Apple has since issued a statement to the public that claims that Qualcomm has been charging the company “at least five times more in payments than all the other cellular patent licensors” that Apple has made agreements with, even though Qualcomm itself is merely “one of over a dozen comapnies who contributed to basic cellular standards.”
Royalties aren’t the only thing that was brought up in this lawsuit. Apple claims that Qualcomm has also withheld USD1 billion in payment to Apple due to Apple’s role in the South Korean authorities’ antitrust investigation of Qualcomm which has lead to the company being fined USD854 million for unfair trade practices.
Unsurprisingly, Qualcomm has rejected Apple’s accusation, claiming that the company has “intentionally mischaracterized our agreements and negotiations.” Qualcomm further states that Apple has been “actively encouraging regulatory attacks on Qualcomm’s business in various jurisdictions around the world.” Simply put, both companies are going to battle this suit out in the courts, so don’t expect the Apple-Qualcomm saga to end anytime soon.
Source: Android Authority, CNBC