Apple and Qualcomm they are in a fierce fight. In the United States, Apple has done well so far and can continue selling its iPhones without worrying about a ban; in China, however, the story is different and Apple lost the battle over there, being prevented from selling some models in the country something that it solved in theory with a software update.
But let's go back a little bit in this story: when this dispute was there at the beginning we inform that, while these two giants fight, Apple decided to stop paying the royalties Qualcomm through its partners. That's because, as we explained, Apple passes on this payment to its suppliers (Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron and Compel), which in turn pay Qualcomm. This move by Apple and its partners prompted Qualcomm to sue for breach of contract.
For some time now, Qualcomm's CEO insists on the idea that the legal conflict between Apple and his company would be nearing an end and that an agreement will come out at some point in the very distant future. Well, Apple has already come to the public to say that none of this is true and that there are no conversations going on; now it was Ma's partners' turn to speak.
According to Ted Boutrous (lawyer / partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, who represents them all in this dispute), there are no talks for a settlement and they are all preparing for the trial that will take place in April.
In the same way that Qualcomm sued the manufacturers, they also sued Qualcomm alleging anti-competitive practices for charging high for chips and also for a percentage of device sales (royalties about the patents used). Together, they want $ 9 billion in Qualcomm claims for royalties this number is supposed to be illegal, however, it could triple (!) if manufacturers are successful in their claims.
In the meantime, Apple is hiring experts in the field and most likely is preparing to launch its own modem for iPhones at some point in the medium term.
Qualcomm definitely got a headache. We will continue to follow this story closely.
via Reuters
