Qualcomm And Apple Legal Battle Goes On To A New Chapter

On Monday, Qualcomm and Apple started a new chapter in their long-running lawsuit over licensing agreements and patents.

Qualcomm accuses Apple of infringing on three of its patents with some iPhone models. The chip giant wants to charge as much as $1.41 per iPhone infringing on its intellectual property that was sold from 2017 to 2018. Though there was no exact number revealed, the total number and go up to tens of millions of dollars. While the compensation seems too little for Apple, a victory would help Qualcomm consolidate its reputation as an innovator in the mobile industry.

In defense of Qualcomm, attorney David Nelson said that Qualcomm stands behind lots of technologies used in smartphones.

In the trial, there were three patents concerned, including one that enables fast and instant Internet connection when the phone is turned on, one that enhances battery life and graphics processing, and one that supports for easier data download.

In terms of the first patent, Qualcomm’s representative attorney argued that the technology was foundational to the chipmaker’s work, even before its registration. But Apple said Qualcomm stole the idea from former Apple engineer Arjuna Siva.

Apple’s lead counsel said:

The legal battle between the two giants is just one part of a wide-ranging legal saga. A couple of years ago, the FTC accused Qualcomm of anti-competition activity in the chip industry. According to the FTC, by charging extreme royalty rates, Qualcomm blocked competitors from going into the market, raising phone prices and harming consumers. Since the trial in January, both parties are still waiting for a settlement from the US District Judge Lucy Koh.

Meanwhile, the San Diego trial that we’re mentioning here, was ruled by US District Judge Dana Sabraw which is also more technical compared with the others. However, it can affect phone prices and manufacturing. A date has also been scheduled for April so the two companies can settle their licensing deals.

The case has been about how much royalties Apple paid Qualcomm for using its technology. While the iPhone maker had to pay $7.5 per unit, Apple COO said that the number should have been 20 percent of that only.

Apple began using Qualcomm chips in its iPhone in 2011 but it has switched to Intel chips in its latest iPhone models.

After Monday opening statements, the first witness for Qualcomm was James Thompson, its chief technologist. While describing the relationship between the company and Apple, he said: