Let. There. Be. Lawyers… The SD-based chip company Qualcomm just won a major court ruling that Apple’s illegally used its tech in iPhones. Without paying for it. At all. The Qualcomm/Apple relationship’s been awkward since Apple left it for Intel a few years back.
Qualcomm patent-trolls Apple
Reminds us of Pied Piper… The algorithmic thing from TV’s Silicon Valley is freakishly similar to what Qualcomm’s patented. Nobody understands it, but it makes tech work better. And Apple’s guilty of using Qualcomm’s “inventions” that speed downloads. The judge’s rec? A ban on selling iPhone 7 and 7 Plus (and maybe more).
THE TAKEAWAY
Qualcomm’s patent trolling Apple hard… This is the third major ruling in favor of Qualcomm, as China and Germany already said Apple did Qualcomm wrong. There are 2 ways to look at this:
Apple’s take: Qualcomm’s “taxing innovation” by unfairly suing any smartphone maker that doesn’t use its chips.
Qualcomm’s take: Apple stole its fancy tech and gave it to Intel so it could save money.
We let the judges judge.
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Qualcomm Inc. has fired multiple legal shots at Apple Inc.
Qualcomm Inc. has fired multiple legal shots at Apple Inc. aiming to use patents to get an import ban on the iPhone. In separate rulings Tuesday, one hit and one missed.
The U.S. International Trade Commission on Tuesday invalidated a Qualcomm patent for a battery-saving feature. Earlier in the day, a separate trade judge said Apple infringed a different Qualcomm patent and recommended certain older models of the iPhone be banned. The commission is scheduled to release a final decision in that case in July.
The cases are among some 80 worldwide between the companies in a dispute that’s lasted more than two years. Qualcomm is hoping a victory, particularly an import ban, could give it greater leverage in technology licensing negotiations. Qualcomm says it’s due billions of dollars in unpaid royalties on the iPhone as the two tech giants argue over the value of the chipmaker’s patents.
The latest turn of the screw in Apple and Qualcomm’s legal battle
Judge recommends import ban on iPhones after latest Apple vs. Qualcomm verdict
The latest chapter in the ongoing and messy Apple versus Qualcomm legal battle might mean a US import ban on some iPhone models. A US trade judge has found Apple guilty of infringing on two Qualcomm patents related to power management and data download speeds. As a result, the judge — International Trade Commission Judge MaryJoan McNamara — says some iPhone models containing competing Intel modems might be blocked from shipping from China, where they’re manufactured, to the US.
The judgment is still pending review by the ITC. And it’s possible that, on review, things could change: in a separate ITC ruling today, Qualcomm lost another opportunity for an iPhone ban after an initial finding of patent infringement was rejected by the full commission.
