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from the what-we-have-here-is-a-failure-to-communicate dept.
Following the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Qualcomm, Apple has also sued the company, seeking $1 billion in damages:
Apple is suing Qualcomm for roughly $1 billion, saying Qualcomm has been "charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with." The suit follows the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Qualcomm earlier this week over unfair patent licensing practices. [...] Apple says that Qualcomm has taken "radical steps," including "withholding nearly $1 billion in payments from Apple as retaliation for responding truthfully to law enforcement agencies investigating them." Apple added, "Despite being just one of over a dozen companies who contributed to basic cellular standards, Qualcomm insists on charging Apple at least five times more in payments than all the other cellular patent licensors we have agreements with combined."
Also at Reuters, The Verge , and Ars Technica .
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 21 2017, @09:50PM
After the government's SJW lawsuit, the lawyers at Apple simply saw an opportunity to jump on a weakened frenemy.
For one thing, it's quite rich that Apple could complain about being charged too much for commodity hardware. For another, guess what? If that's the price at which Qualcomm is licensing its property, then that's the goddamn price. If you don't like someone's prices or tactics, then associate with someone else.
(Score: 4, Informative) by sjames on Saturday January 21 2017, @10:01PM
Because Qualcomm's patents were included in the standard, it is literally impossible to make a compatible cellphone without them. In return, Qualcomm agreed to licence it's patents under FRAND terms. They have violated that agreement. That's why they're in trouble. Nobody held a gun to their heads. They were free to not agree and not have their patents incorporated in the standard.