Apple sues Qualcomm, Qualcomm sues Apple, Qualcomm sues Apple, Qualcomm sues Apple.
For the past two years, the legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm has played out much like this, while the patent cases have greatly inconvenienced Apple at times in certain markets, the royalties suit that Apple filed in January of 2017 has threatened a big part of Qualcomm’s core business and ultimately led Apple to start eschewing Qualcomm IP in their devices.
The entire saga is about to reach a fever pitch, we are just weeks away from proceedings kicking off for Apple’s $1 billion royalties suit. Today, a more low-key eight-day trial kicked off in San Diego federal court regarding Apple’s alleged usage of patent-infringing modem tech.
The case, overseen by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, is related to the power consumption and speed of boot-up times for iPhones sold in the period between mid-2017 and late-2018. A positive outcome for Qualcomm could result in up to $1.41 in damages per infringing iPhone sold during this period, an amount that could swell to tens of millions in damages, Reuters reports.
Qualcomm has scored some small victories in its efforts to chip away at Apple. The company has won iPhone sales bans in Germany and China for certain models, though the ban in China has yet to be enforced and Apple has modified some of its phones in Germany to comply with the ruling.