Qualcomm, the world's largest supplier of mobile chips, won a legal victory against Apple on Friday. A federal court jury in San Diego has ruled that Apple must pay Qualcomm about $31 million for infringing on three of its patents.
Qualcomm sued Apple last year, alleging it infringed its patents on a way to increase the battery life of mobile phones. During the eight-day jury trial, Qualcomm asked to pay off the resulting debt for unpaid license fees at the rate of $1,41 for each iPhone released in violation of the patents.
“The technologies invented by Qualcomm and others are what allowed Apple to enter the market and become so successful so quickly,” Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said in a statement. “We are pleased that courts around the world are rejecting Apple’s strategy of not paying for the use of our intellectual property.”
The case is just part of a series of lawsuits around the world between the two companies. Apple claims Qualcomm engages in illegal patent practices to protect its dominance in the chip market, and Qualcomm accuses Apple of using its technology without paying compensation.
To date, Qualcomm has secured a court ban on the sale of iPhone smartphones in Germany and China, although the ban has not come into force in the Middle Kingdom, and Apple has taken steps that, in its opinion, will allow it to resume sales in Germany.
Source: 3dnews.ru