The Federal Trade Commission yesterday said that the evidence against Qualcomm in the antitrust trial was ‘overwhelming.’ It argued that the chipmaker used unfair practices to stifle competition and benefit from an effective monopoly of chips needed by Apple and other smartphone makers.
The remark was made in the FTC’s closing arguments in the case …
A key issue in the ongoing battle between Apple and Qualcomm is whether the chipmaker imposed unfair terms on Apple. Apple says yes, but an expert witness in the US Federal Trade Commission antitrust case against Qualcomm says that’s impossible.
The witness said that Qualcomm simply didn’t have enough power to do so …
A report from Bloomberg details how Apple’s director of cellular systems architecture, Matthias Sauer, testified that the company sought 4G cellular modems from an array of different companies besides Qualcomm, however, none were able to provide market-ready 4G modems in time.
The news is a big boost to the chipmaker’s case, who is fighting claims that its near market monopoly has forced phone manufactures to pay fixed, inflated prices on chip licensing royalties.
Yesterday, it was reported that Apple had to retract a portion of its press release about iPhone sales in Germany as part of its ongoing legal battle with Qualcomm. Now, Bloomberg has obtained leaked emails that claim to offer more details about the relationship between the two companies collapsing.
Last month, Qualcomm won a victory in Germany with a suit that claimed Apple infringed on its modem patents. The ruling was set to affect iPhone 7 and 8, with Apple appealing the decision. In the meantime, Apple said it would stop selling the iPhone 7 and 8 in the country, but it interpreted the ruling so that third-parties could continue selling the devices. However, Apple has been issuing a press release in Germany that says it would be able to sell all iPhones in the country (via Bloomberg) and has now been ordered to stop using that part of the statement.
After six days, the US Federal Trade Commission rested its antitrust case against Qualcomm, and the chipmaker has opened its defence.
It began by claiming that the iPhone wouldn’t exist without its technology …
Buoyed by its victory in an earlier injunction against iPhone sales in Germany, Qualcomm launched a second patent infringement lawsuit against Apple in the country. This court, however, dismissed the latest Qualcomm lawsuit.
The new lawsuit has been described as a ‘nuisance’ one by a patent expert, who also said that the previous victory was worth little …
As Apple and Qualcomm’s FTC trial continues today, we’re learning more details about the quarrels between the two companies. As reported by CNET, one of the more interesting tidbits from Apple’s COO Jeff Williams was that the company wanted to put Qualcomm’s 4G chips in the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, but Qualcomm refused to sell them to Apple.
As part of the Qualcomm and Federal Trade Commission trial this week, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf continued to defend his company’s business practices. As reported by CNET, Mollenkopf said the practices are what’s best for the whole industry, while Apple continues to claim the tactics are monopolistic.
On Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook sat down with CNBC and spoke all-things Apple, including a defense of the company’s recent rare earnings miss, calling out reports of a failing iPhone XR and the future of Apple’s services business. During the interview, Cook was quick to address the ongoing lawsuit with California-based chipmaker Qualcomm.
As the heated legal saga between Apple and Qualcomm only continues to intensify, the California chipmaker is now insisting that after asking Chinese courts to impose an all-out iPhone ban in the region, it won’t rule out imposing Chinese civil procedure to fine or detain legal representatives from Apple for disobeying the sales ban, according to Global Times China.
A lawyer representing Qualcomm said that under Chinese rules of civil procedure, Qualcomm has the right to ask a court to fine or detain Apple’s four legal representatives in China or bar them from leaving the country.
Further, the company is said to be dissatisfied with Apple’s flippancy towards the Chinese injunction as compared to the recent German one, which saw Apple immediately ban sales of iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 in the country.
The long-running patent dispute between Apple and Qualcomm took a dramatic turn yesterday when the Cupertino company took two iPhone models off the market in Germany in response to an injunction.
While the court ruling appeared to be a victory for Qualcomm, it may well be a temporary one – as well as a very, very expensive one for the wireless chipmaker …
Qualcomm has secured another court victory over Apple this week, this time in Germany. A court has ruled that some iPhone models, featuring Intel modems, violate a Qualcomm patent.
The court said that infringing iPhone models could no longer be sold in Germany, however the ban will not go into effect if Apple appeals. Apple is appealing the decision and is pulling iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 from store shelves in the meantime …
After criticizing Apple in a statement yesterday for its response to China’s injunction against certain iPhone models, Qualcomm continues its PR circuit today. Speaking to Bloomberg, Qualcomm General Counsel Don Rosenberg today slammed Apple for its reaction to the China ban, saying it’s something that “needs to be taken very seriously.”
Earlier today, Apple released iOS 12.1.2 with bug fixes for eSIM as well as to address the patents involved in its Qualcomm legal battle. In a statement to Reuters, however, Qualcomm says that Apple “continues to flout the legal system by violating injunctions,” despite today’s iOS update.
Lead attorney for Apple assembly firm Foxconn reiterated statements similar sounding to ones made by Apple attorneys that neither company would seek a settlement in court with Qualcomm over the companies ongoing legal tug-of-war.
The statement comes just weeks after Apple attorney William Isaacson told reporters that a trial against Qualcomm “would be necessary”, despite conflicting comments coming from Qualcomm via its CEO, who implied a peaceful resolution was just “on the doorstep.”
Earlier this week, it was reported that China had granted Qualcomm an iPhone import and sale ban as part of its legal case against Apple. While the ban has been unsuccessful at stopping iPhone sales in the country, a new legal filing from Apple in China offers more color on what would happen should a Chinese ban on the sale of iPhones go into effect.
The legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm, as well as the FTC’s lawsuit against Qualcomm, continues today. Reuters reports that a federal judge ruled today in the FTC’s case against Qualcomm that the chipmaker cannot use evidence of Apple’s move to competing suppliers like Intel to fight allegations that it acted in a way to preserve a monopoly on certain smartphone chips.
Qualcomm won a surprise victory against Apple in China earlier this week, when it obtained an injunction against both the import and sale of iPhones in the country.
That victory was, however, more theoretical than practical: the injunction applied to older models, and seemingly only on the basis of the version of iOS they ran when they first went on sale. Apple continued to sell all its iPhone models in China.
However, Qualcomm has today upped the ante …
The latest development in the Apple versus Qualcomm patent battle could still see a US iPhone import ban, despite a judge ruling against the possibility last year.
Qualcomm first sought the import ban just over a year ago, alleging that Apple infringed up to 16 of its patents, and that three of the infringements were sufficient to justify an import ban …
Apple is currently embroiled in a wide-ranging legal battle with Qualcomm over patents and royalties. Earlier this week, Qualcomm got an injunction on iPhone sales in China but iPhones remain available for sale …
[Update 1:33 ET: Apple says it will appeal the injunction in China (despite the ban seemingly not affecting iPhone sales.]
CNBC reported breaking news this morning that China has granted an injunction against Apple over its patent dispute with Qualcomm, a move that the chip maker claims “bans the import and sale of nearly all iPhone models in China.” Apple has issued a statement, however, saying that “all iPhone models remain available for our customers in China.”
Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon said in an interview with Yahoo Finance that the company’s ever-intensifying dispute against Apple will end soon, “one way or another.” This comes despite mounting evidence Apple plans to play hardball with the American chipmaker, after reports last week said Apple rejected a settlement offer.
Earlier this week, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf made headlines when he said his company was “on the doorstep of a resolution” with Apple, implying a settlement was possible. Now, an Apple attorney is refuting that notion, saying the two companies “are going to need a trial.”
