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9 January 2019Patents

Qualcomm hits back at Apple CEO comments

Qualcomm has hit back at comments made by Apple CEO Tim Cook in a patent licensing spat between the two companies.

In an interview with CNBC yesterday, January 8, Cook said that Qualcomm’s licensing policy for its microchips, used in Apple iPhones, was “in our view, illegal”. Cook also stated that Qualcomm had refused to offer licences for its patents on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.

A US Federal Trade Commission lawsuit accusing Qualcomm of charging royalties above FRAND rates went to trial on Friday, January 4.

The Apple-Qualcomm dispute has intensified in recent months as Qualcomm has scored a number of victories in courts around the world. In November, a Chinese court issued an injunction banning some older iPhone models after finding they infringed Qualcomm’s patents.

A German court imposed a similar ban in December, barring the sale of iPhones that use chips from technology company Intel and parts from Apple supplier Qorvo. Apple stated that it plans to appeal against the decision.

Steve Mollenkopf, Qualcomm CEO, told CNBC in November that the two companies were “on the doorstep of finding a resolution” to the dispute with Apple.

Cook, however, said yesterday, January 8, that settlement talks between the two companies had ended in the third quarter of last year. “I’m not sure where that thinking is coming from,” Cook said in relation to hopes of reaching an out-of-court settlement.

In response to Cook’s remarks, Qualcomm reiterated that it was hopeful of finding a resolution.

“We have been consistent for the last 18 months in making clear that we have, at various times, been in discussions with Apple about a possible resolution to our licensing dispute,” a Qualcomm spokesperson told Reuters.

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More on this story

Patents
21 December 2018   Qualcomm has been granted an injunction against Apple that bans the sale of some iPhone models in Germany.
Patents
11 December 2018   A court in China has issued injunctions against Apple after finding older iPhone models violate two Qualcomm patents.