Qualcomm is revving up its legal battle with Apple. In a new court filing in Munich, Qualcomm demanded “significant fines” be put on the iPhone-maker for not complying with a previous court order.
Apple was barred from selling some iPhones in Germany at the end of 2018. The company pulled the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 at its retail stores, but Qualcomm is crying foul that other third-party shops still had units in stock.
Apple has admitted in court that, when it transitioned to 4G connectivity with the iPhone 5, Qualcomm was the only company capable of providing the chips Apple needed.
The admission of Qualcomm’s technical superiority over rivals came from Matthias Sauer, Apple’s director of cellular systems architecture. Sauer said that Apple considered working with Ericsson, Broadcom and Intel — but that none could deliver the chip specifications that Apple wanted.
The recent court-appointed sales ban on certain iPhone models in Germany could be at risk. That’s thanks to a decision by a German court on Tuesday, who ruled against Qualcomm in its patent case against Apple.
The regional court in the city of Mannheim threw out the Qualcomm suit, claiming that the patent was not being violated due to Apple’s use of Qualcomm chips in its older iPhones. Qualcomm has said it plans to appeal.
Apple wanted to use Qualcomm’s LTE modems in the iPhone XS and iPhone XR this year, but according to Apple COO Jeff Williams, Qualcomm refused to sell Apple its chips due to their current legal disputes.
After using both Intel and Qualcomm modems in the 2017 iPhone lineup, Apple says it planned to use chips from both companies again on the 2018 iPhones. Qualcomm’s refusal to sell Apple chips forced Intel to scramble to make up for the extra production.
Qualcomm has blasted comments made by Apple CEO Tim Cook as “misleading.”
During his recent CNBC interview, Cook said that there had been no recent settlement talks between Apple and Qualcomm. Qualcomm, meanwhile, insists that there have been. But Apple disagrees with Qualcomm’s disagreement. What was it that we said about this case having more twists than a pretzel?
Qualcomm has posted a bond of 1.34 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to enforce a German court order halting several iPhone models from selling in the country.
Apple is appealing the court’s December 20, 2018 ruling, although it declined to comment on Qualcomm’s latest move.
Apple will be barred from selling certain iPhone models in Germany, after a court ruled that Apple was infringing on a Qualcomm patent. While the ban isn’t immediate, provided that Apple appeals it, Apple has said that it will stop selling the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 in Apple Stores until the matter is resolved.
The decision against Apple comes shortly after Qualcomm scored a similar victory in a court in China. It will not affect the iPhone XR, XS, or XS Max.
China isn’t the only place where Apple is trying to ward off a possible legal challenge from Qualcomm. According to a new report, it has introduced a change to iOS that affects only users in Germany.
It comes before a hearing, scheduled for later today, in which a German court will hear that Apple allegedly violated Qualcomm’s patents.
There’s now proof that Apple rushed iOS 12.1.2 out primarily to make changes to iPhones in China. We also have confirmation of exactly what the modifications are.
These were designed to convince a Chinese court that iPhones don’t infringe on two Qualcomm patents. The hope is that court will then reverse an iPhone sales ban that went into effect in that country last week.
Apple and Qualcomm have found yet another thing to disagree over in their long-running feud. A court in China recently issued an order banning Apple from selling several older iPhone models. Apple subsequently released an iOS update which it claims stopped it infringing on the software patents in the complaint.
However, Qualcomm is not satisfied, and insists that Apple is breaking the law by keeping all of its iPhone models on sale.
Apple has rushed out iOS 12.1.2 after a single round of beta testing. This highly unusual move could be part of the company’s response to a recent ban on iPhone sales in China.
The release notes on this new version say nothing about that though, just indicating that iOS 12.1.2 fixes some small issues.
Apple is rushing to release an iOS update in China to resolve potential infringement of Qualcomm patents. The news follows a report stating that a Chinese sales ban of certain iPhone models would cost Apple millions of dollars a day.
“Early next week we will deliver a software update for iPhone users in China addressing the minor functionality of the two patents at issue in the case,” Apple said in a statement.
Certain iPhone models have been barred for sale in China, but a similar ban in the U.S. isn’t totally out of the question. The U.S. International Trade Commission has said that it plans to review a previous ruling stating that a ban on iPhone imports was not in the interests of the general public — even in the event that Apple infringed on a Qualcomm patent.
Apple and Qualcomm have been battling it out for much of the past two years. They are scheduled to meet in court next April.
Qualcomm and Intel could both soon lose out on Apple’s wireless chip business completely.
After switching from Qualcomm modems to Intel modems (and causing a huge legal war in the process), Apple is reportedly looking to build more wireless chips on its own. The company is staffing up in San Diego and based on one job listing, the team is working on a cellular modem chip.
A court in China has granted Qualcomm an injunction against Apple. The ruling bars Apple from importing and selling multiple iPhone models in China.
The order specifically bars Apple from selling the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X. However, the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR should be good to go.
Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon says that, one way or another, the battle between his company and Apple is coming to an end soon.
“We feel like we are probably near the end of this game — we have a lot of legal milestones approaching,” Cristiano Amon told Yahoo Finance. “We see 2019 as having events that will drive resolution one way or another.” Unless an agreement is reached, the two companies are currently set to face off in court in April.
Apple may not be planning to release a 5G iPhone until at least 2020, but don’t expect rival Android handset makers to be willing to hold on for so long.
According to Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon, by this time next year the market is set to be flooded with 5G Android phones. “Every Android vendor is working on 5G right now,” he said.
A trial date has been announced for the long-brewing Qualcomm vs. Apple lawsuit. According to a new report, it will take place on April 15, 2019.
While Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf recently suggested that the two companies are “on the doorstep of a resolution,” Apple’s attorney insists that this is not the case. “There have been unfortunate articles lately that the parties are close to a settlement, and that is not true,” attorney William Isaacson said. “There haven’t been talks in months.”
Apple’s battle with Qualcomm has been raging on for the past two years, but an end could finally be in sight. Possibly.
In an interview with CNBC‘s Jim Cramer, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said that the company is currently “on the doorstep” of a resolution with Apple.
One of Apple’s oldest wireless chip suppliers is now facing a huge threat of having employees poached by the iPhone-maker.
For the first time ever, Apple has started advertising engineering jobs in Qualcomm’s backyard, San Diego, California. The move comes as the two companies have been feuding for two years regarding royalty payments and Apple’s hiring spree could deepen the riff.
Apple is making zero effort to reach a settlement in its wide-ranging legal battle with Qualcomm.
The iPhone-maker used Qualcomm wireless chips in its devices for years, but the two sides recently started butting heads over how much Apple owes in royalties. Qualcomm alleges that Apple should pay it an additional $7 billion and it looks like it will have to go to war for every cent.
Qualcomm has told a federal court in San Diego that Apple is $7 billion behind in its royalty patents to the firm for technology which uses Qualcomm licenses.
Apple, which has been locked in a battle with Qualcomm for close to two years, has disputed the amount that it owes. It also claims that Qualcomm is trying to force it to pay for certain patents twice over: once for the use of Qualcomm’s chips in iPhones and once for patent royalties.
A judge with the International Trade Commission ruled that iPhone models infringe on a Qualcomm patent. However, he declined Qualcomm’s request to ban the import of the infringing devices into the U.S.
The judge also said the iPhone doesn’t infringe on two other patents owned by the chip maker.
Qualcomm claims that Apple stole its chip technology and gave it to Intel — and it says it’s got the proof.
According to the chipmaker, Apple stole “vast swaths” of confidential information and trade secrets, which it used to improve the performance of chips made by Qualcomm rival Intel. The claims are part of a new court filing by Qualcomm.
After teasing it for months, Qualcomm today unveiled its processor designed for Wear OS smartwatches. The Snapdragon Wear 3100 is intended to put Google’s smartwatch platform on the map, instead of a distant third place.
The highlight of the new chip is improved battery life. Qualcomm is promising 4 to 12 extra hours of use, depending on the tasks the wearable is asked to perform.
