Qualcomm seeks to ban iPhone sales in China
Qualcomm has expanded its legal dispute with Apple by filing patent infringement lawsuits in China that seek to ban iPhone sales in the country.
Reports on Friday, October 13 by BloombergTechnology said that Qualcomm’s suits are based on three patents and were filed in the Beijing IP Court.
The patents cover a touch-screen technology called Force Touch and a power management software that Apple uses in current iPhones.
The inventions were described as “a few examples of the many Qualcomm technologies that Apple uses to improve its devices and increase its profits” by Christine Trimble, a Qualcomm spokesperson.
There are over 50 million iPhone users in China, according to statistics from analytics company Statista.
Apple seemed unconcerned with the claim, stating it believes the legal effort won’t be successful.
“In our many years of ongoing negotiations with Qualcomm, these patents have never been discussed,” said Apple spokesperson Josh Rosenstock, according to Friday’s article.
“Like their other courtroom manoeuvres, we believe this latest legal effort will fail.”
The lawsuits in China expand the bitter dispute between the two companies.
The clash began in January when Apple accused Qualcomm of abusing its monopoly in the mobile device market to gain unfair royalties from Apple’s inventions.
Apple claimed it had been overcharged billions of dollars by Qualcomm, before the semiconductor company counterclaimed.
In July, Qualcomm filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission, alleging that Apple infringed six of its patents in the iPhone model and requesting a ban on imports.
Qualcomm also announced on Friday that it is to appeal against a $773 million fine in Taiwan for violating competition rules.
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