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Apple has now lost IP cases against Qualcomm in China, Germany and the US
A Californian court has ruled that Apple‘s iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and X models infringe a number of Qualcomm patents, awarding the US based chip maker $31m in damages.
The damages awarded represent a premium of $1.41 per unit sold in the US since Qualcomm originally filed the lawsuit on the 6th July 2017.
“Today’s unanimous jury verdict is the latest victory in our worldwide patent litigation directed at holding Apple accountable for using our valuable technologies without paying for them,” said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel for Qualcomm.
“The technologies invented by Qualcomm and others are what made it possible for Apple to enter the market and become so successful so quickly. The three patents found to be infringed in this case represent just a small fraction of Qualcomm’s valuable portfolio of tens of thousands of patents. We are gratified that courts all over the world are rejecting Apple’s strategy of refusing to pay for the use of our IP.”
The patents Apple have violated relate to the way that iPhones connect to the internet and manage their customers’ data.
In the past six months, courts in China and Germany have also ruled in Qualcomm’s favour, saying that the Apple has continually violated the company’s intellectual property rights.
The ruling in China led to the banning of sales of all iPhones from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone X on the Chinese mainland.
The ruling in Germany means that Apple is now unable to sell its iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models in any of its retail outlets in Germany. Apple has said that it intends to appeal against the ruling. The company will continue to sell its most recent models (iPhone X, XS and XR) as normal.
Also in the news:
Qualcomm launches 7Gbps 5G chipset at MWC 2019
5G handsets arrive en masse in Barcelona
Apple sees 15% drop in iPhone revenues
