Apple vs. Qualcomm Trial Begins Today

Two years after Apple sued Qualcomm over $1 billion in unpaid royalty rebates and anticompetitive patent licensing practices, the tech heavyweights are set to face off in a San Diego courtroom. The trial begins today with jury selection.

qualcomm iphones
Apple manufacturers Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal, whose complaints have been merged with Apple's, allege that they have collectively overpaid Qualcomm approximately $9 billion in royalties, a figure that could be tripled under antitrust laws to $27 billion, according to The New York Times.

Apple argues that Qualcomm should also repay $3.1 billion associated with patents whose rights are exhausted, the report adds.

Apple in January 2017:

For many years Qualcomm has unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with. The more Apple innovates with unique features such as Touch ID, advanced displays, and cameras, to name just a few, the more money Qualcomm collects for no reason and the more expensive it becomes for Apple to fund these innovations.

Qualcomm in turn estimates that Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal owe more than $7.5 billion in unpaid royalties. Qualcomm also argues that Apple should be held liable for a doubled penalty of at least $15 billion.

Qualcomm in April 2017:

Apple is the world's most profitable seller of cellular devices. But as a late-comer to the cellular industry, Apple contributed virtually nothing to the development of core cellular technology. Instead, Apple's products rely heavily on the cellular inventions of Qualcomm and others. Apple's iPhones and other products enjoy enormous commercial success, but without lightning-fast cellular connectivity—enabled in large part by Qualcomm's inventions—Apple's iPhones would lose much of their consumer appeal.

Apple already won a preliminary judgment ordering Qualcomm to pay nearly $1 billion in withheld rebates last month. Qualcomm has also faced scrutiny from antitrust regulators in multiple countries, including the United States, where an FTC lawyer said evidence of misconduct is "overwhelming."

"The evidence is overwhelming that Qualcomm engaged in exclusionary conduct, and the effects of Qualcomm's conduct, when considered together, are anticompetitive," said FTC lawyer Jennifer Milici, during closing arguments in the FTC vs. Qualcomm trial in January, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Amidst the legal battle, Apple dropped Qualcomm as a supplier of cellular modems starting with last year's iPhone XS, ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, and ‌iPhone‌ XR, with rival chipmaker Intel fulfilling all orders for those devices.

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
airpods 4 blue

Apple Offering Free AirPods — Here's How to Get Them

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
Apple is running a new promotion that offers free AirPods to qualifying customers. Now through September 30, college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Singapore can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. If you do not want AirPods, the promotion also offers various other...

Top Rated Comments

Infinite Vortex Avatar
81 months ago
I wish there was a world where they both lost so they each learnt to get along with others.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jamツ Avatar
81 months ago
they should put it on ESPN
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AnthonyG6 Avatar
81 months ago
This is a waste of time for everyone at  and it’s not going to bode well for both company. Qualcomm started to charge a few percentages higher due to iPhone X Notch Screen chopped off a portion display and is by far the most unprofessional looking device ever produced from Apple.
[doublepost=1555338453][/doublepost]Qualcomm should consider charging at a higher rate if Apple unable to make the new 2019 iPhone without a notch.
This is such a ridiculous comment; what has the notch got to do with any of this?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
realtuner Avatar
81 months ago
My bad. So how many anti trust cases have there been that they lost?
* In April 2017 Qualcomm and Blackberry had a binding arbitration case. Qualcomm lost and now owes $940 million to Blackberry. Since it didn't go to court, details are limited. What we do know is it was related to royalty rebates due to Blackberry over the number of devices sold. Which sounds eerily similar to what Apple is complaining about (with Apple winning a preliminary $1 billion against Qualcomm just recently).

* In June 2018 Qualcomm was fined $1.2 billion by the EU for antitrust issues arising from Qualcomm paying Apple money to ensure exclusivity in using Qualcomm modems. Just a week ago Qualcomm lost another part of their antitrust case by trying to prevent the handing over of data to the EU regarding their antitrust case.
* In October 2017 Qualcomm was fined $774 million by Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission for overcharging royalties for their cellular modems and IP. Qualcomm struck a deal with Taiwan and had their fine "reduced" to $93 million in exchange for investing $700 million over 5 years into Taiwan's tech sector. Several companies are still protesting this decision as Qualcomm wasn't forced to change all their licensing practices.
* In December 2016, South Korea fined Qualcomm $854 million for antitrust issues surrounding modem and IP royalty/licensing. Prior to this Qualcomm was fined $243 million way back in 2009 over kickback issues to cell manufacturers to use Qualcomm modems exclusively. This fine was lowered slightly to $200 million just last month.
* In February 2015 Qualcomm accepted a penalty of $975 million in China over violating anti-monopoly laws over - you guessed it, royalties and licensing related to modems and related IP.
* The FTC in the US just wrapped up a trial (now awaiting a decision) accusing Qualcomm of antitrust practices related to their modems and licensing practices.
* Apple and Qualcomm start their trial today regarding, again, over payment of royalties.


And despite all of this people still have the nerve to think Qualcomm is in the right?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3LL5P4WN Avatar
81 months ago
they should put it on ESPN
I'd watch it. It's more of a sport than poker or golf are.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3LL5P4WN Avatar
81 months ago
YOU CAN DO EET APPLE! CUT THEIR HEADS OFF!

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)