Part of the clash between Apple and Qualcomm happened recently, as we covered (with different results). But a new stage will begin in April in the courts of San Diego (California, United States), where companies will face each other in one of the many existing battles.
And the thing escalated to galactic levels. That’s because none other than Tim Cook and Steven Mollenkopf (CEOs of both companies) will testify.
In fact, as reported by Bloomberg, dozens of executives and engineers such as Bob Mansfield (former Apple hardware chief, currently working on Project Titan), Jeff Williams (Apple COO), Phil Schiller (Apple marketing boss), Bruce Sewell (former director legal counsel), Cristiano Amon (president of Qualcomm) and Irwin Jacobs (co-founder of Qualcomm) are expected to be called to testify – as well as executives from Asian manufacturers, including Foxconn, and other smartphone makers, such as Samsung.
Speaking specifically of Cook, the executive is expected to testify – among other topics – about Apple’s business strategy, the company’s financial performance and its agreements with other companies.
The trial is scheduled for April 15 and could decide the confrontation of the companies – which has been going on for two years. Briefly summarized, Apple questioned Qualcomm’s licensing practices, accusing it of winning over modems and licensing sales that would go a long way from what the industry calls “reasonable and non-discriminatory terms”; Qualcomm, on the other hand, defends its position and wants to receive the money owed (which Apple stopped paying because of the dispute) since the case was started.
