Qualcomm has been in a battle with Apple for quite some time now, but the latest smartphone manufacturer to join the lawsuit against the chipmaker is LG Electronics, making it the fifth company to join the KFTC (Korean Fair Trade Commission) after Samsung Electronics withdrew from the lawsuit.
Qualcomm was imposed with a fine of 1.03 trillion won in 2016 by the KFTC, and companies such as Apple, Intel, MediaTek, Huawei and Samsung Electronics joined the KFTC in the lawsuit, but due to a patent cross-licensing agreement between Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm, the company withdrew, causing the lawsuit to be slightly weakened.
Since then, LG has decided to participate in the lawsuit, and according to Business Korea, industry watchers suggested that the reason of the sudden participation is due to a failed negotiation between the two companies.
On a side note, Qualcomm’s recent legal battle with Apple has caused a temporary ban of Apple’s older phone models in Germany and China. As for the lawsuit between Qualcomm and KFTC, it’s most likely going to take another few years before a verdict is made.