Apple is 'Not in Talks' to Settle Legal Dispute With Qualcomm and is 'Gearing Up For Trial'

Apple and Qualcomm are not in talks "at any level" to settle a wide-ranging legal dispute spanning multiple countries, according to Reuters.

qualcomm iphone 7
The report cites an unnamed source on Apple's side who said "there is absolutely no meaningful discussion taking place between us and Qualcomm, and there is no settlement in sight," with Apple "gearing up for trial."

The case is set to go to trial early next year, should the companies fail to reach a resolution, according to the report.

Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf had told investors on the company's quarterly earnings call in July that the two companies were in talks to resolve the litigation. "We hope that through the combination of either those paths, we could get to a resolution, and we're confident that we will," he said at the time.

The saga began when Apple sued Qualcomm in January 2017 for allegedly withholding nearly $1 billion in royalty rebates as retaliation for Apple "responding truthfully to law enforcement agencies investigating them," referring to the FTC's investigation into Qualcomm's anticompetitive business practices.

Qualcomm countersued Apple in April 2017, accusing the company of failing to engage in good faith negotiations for a license to its 3G and 4G standard essential patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms. Qualcomm also accused Apple of encouraging regulatory attacks on its business in multiple countries.

Qualcomm's countersuit said Apple "could not have built the incredible iPhone franchise" without relying upon the chipmaker's "fundamental cellular technologies." Qualcomm went as far as alleging that Apple "contributed virtually nothing to the development of core cellular technology."

Qualcomm also accused Apple of making "misleading statements" about the performance of Qualcomm and Intel modems in iPhones. In testing, iPhone 7 models with Qualcomm's modem achieved faster wireless speeds than those with Intel's modem, but Apple said there was "no discernible difference" between the two.

Apple broadened its lawsuit against Qualcomm in June 2017, accusing the chipmaker of "double-dipping" with unfair patent licensing agreements. Apple said Qualcomm charged it royalties based on a percentage of the entire iPhone's value, despite supplying just a single component of the device - the wireless modem.

The legal dispute encompasses several other claims, including Qualcomm's allegation that Apple shared Qualcomm's trade secrets with Intel to help improve its LTE modems, allowing Apple to stop using Qualcomm's modems.

Qualcomm was the exclusive supplier of wireless modems in iPhones until the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, when Apple added Intel as a secondary supplier. Likely due to this legal dispute, Intel became the exclusive supplier of wireless modems starting with the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

Apple is reportedly $7 billion behind in royalties owed to Qualcomm as it withholds payments as a result of the legal dispute.

Top Rated Comments

aUniqueName Avatar
64 months ago
No, I want to know why YOU think they can just steamroll through the tech industry and buy everyone out.
1) they have the money to
2) the USA a free country where free commerce is allowed (you live in china or something?)
3) everything is for sale if the price is right - that's just the facts of life buddy
4) its not "steamrolling" if its a mutual agreement
5) I want to know why you are so hostile to the idea of apple buying other companies???
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wigby Avatar
64 months ago
Because Apple already is a monopoly, it doesn't need to be even more so.
They are a monopoly of their own products just like Microsoft is a monopoly of Surface products, Google has a monopoly on Pixel laptops and Samsung has a monopoly on Galaxy phones. That is not a monopoly that harms consumers since healthy competition exists outside of iPhone and Mac products.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aUniqueName Avatar
64 months ago
Apple is not entitled to just buy any company you think it should.

Why do you think this way?
Apple is absolutely entitled to buy any company they want if the company is willing to sell.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
64 months ago
And then there's this:

U.S. court rules Qualcomm must license technology to rivals ('https://www.reuters.com/article/us-qualcomm-ftc/u-s-court-rules-qualcomm-must-license-technology-to-rivals-idUSKCN1NB2KP')


Because Apple already is a monopoly, it doesn't need to be even more so.
Since when?:confused:
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
64 months ago
Because Apple already is a monopoly, it doesn't need to be even more so.
If your understanding of monopoly is "get $200 when you pass Go", I can see how you'd come to that conclusion.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aUniqueName Avatar
64 months ago
Because Apple already is a monopoly, it doesn't need to be even more so.
Apple is far from a monopoly, there are dozens if not hundreds of pc and phone manufacturers out there for you to choose from - you could be using a windows PC and an android phone. But I see in your signature you are using a "Hackintosh"... you know why its called "Hackintosh"? cause when you run that, you are allowing hackers easy access into your icloud account...

I guess you don't realize that when you buy apple hardware with their software, what you are paying for is the most secure, hacker resistant ecosystem on the planet. They even deny governments' ability to access your devices. But hey, you may not care about those things so you should probably switch to windows and android.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 With Bug Fixes, Plus iOS 17.0.2 for iPhone 15 Models

Thursday September 21, 2023 10:28 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates for the iPhone and the iPad, adding bug fixes to the new software. The iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates come just a few days after Apple launched iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The software, which is build 21A340, can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There is a...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

iPhone 15 Models Feature New Setting to Strictly Prevent Charging Beyond 80%

Tuesday September 19, 2023 2:04 pm PDT by
All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today. The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more...
emojipedia 15 1 emoji

Emoji Coming to Future iOS 17 Update Include Shaking Head, Brown Mushroom, Lime, Phoenix and More

Tuesday September 19, 2023 12:43 pm PDT by
As Apple was announcing new iPhone models last week, the Unicode Consortium was officially approving new emoji characters that are set to be added to smartphones starting in 2024. Mockup of new emoji from Emojipedia Approved Unicode 15.1 emoji include phoenix, lime, an edible mushroom, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake), and broken...
iPhone 15 Pro Max 5x Optical Zoom Limit Feature 1

Apple Explains Why iPhone 15 Pro Max is Limited to 5x Optical Zoom

Wednesday September 20, 2023 9:52 am PDT by
In an interview with Numerama's Nicolas Lellouche, Apple's VP of camera software engineering Jon McCormack explained why the iPhone 15 Pro Max's tetraprism lens system is limited to 5x optical zoom, instead of 10x like on Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra. The interview is in French, so quotes below are computer translated. Apple says the Telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max features the...