Qualcomm confirms UK lawsuit to be withdrawn

Qualcomm said Tuesday that a London lawsuit accusing it of abusing a dominant market position to force higher royalty payments from Apple and Samsung will be withdrawn.

The case had been brought by the British consumers’ association Which? on behalf of around 29 million people who purchased iPhones or Samsung devices since 2015. Which? had argued that consumers were entitled to up to £480 million ($652 million) in compensation, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

At trial last year, Which? claimed Qualcomm required Apple and Samsung to pay inflated royalties under a global “no licence, no chips” policy, even in cases where Qualcomm chips were not used in a device.

Qualcomm rejected the allegations, saying the lawsuit misrepresented its longstanding practice of requiring manufacturers to obtain licences for its standard essential patents before purchasing its chipsets.

Before the Competition Appeal Tribunal could deliver a ruling, Which? announced it would apply to withdraw the case after reaching an agreement under which Qualcomm will make no payment to the claimant group.

The consumer body said it had concluded that Qualcomm’s practices “did not infringe competition laws, did not result in inflated royalties, and did not lead to an increase in prices consumers paid for their mobile phones.”

A Qualcomm spokesperson welcomed the move, stating that the outcome reaffirmed earlier U.S. court rulings that the company’s licensing model is lawful and does not harm competition.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev