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from the FoRewARNeD-FRAgmeNteD-FeeblebRAiNeD-FAiRylAND dept.
The U.S. FTC is going after Qualcomm:
The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in federal district court charging Qualcomm Inc. with using anticompetitive tactics to maintain its monopoly in the supply of a key semiconductor device used in cell phones and other consumer products. Qualcomm is the world's dominant supplier of baseband processors – devices that manage cellular communications in mobile products. The FTC alleges that Qualcomm has used its dominant position as a supplier of certain baseband processors to impose onerous and anticompetitive supply and licensing terms on cell phone manufacturers and to weaken competitors.
[...] According to the complaint, by threatening to disrupt cell phone manufacturers' supply of baseband processors, Qualcomm obtains elevated royalties and other license terms for its standard-essential patents that manufacturers would otherwise reject. These royalties amount to a tax on the manufacturers' use of baseband processors manufactured by Qualcomm's competitors, a tax that excludes these competitors and harms competition. Increased costs imposed by this tax are passed on to consumers, the complaint alleges. By excluding competitors, Qualcomm impedes innovation that would offer significant consumer benefits, including those that foster the increased interconnectivity of consumer products, vehicles, buildings, and other items commonly referred to as the Internet of Things.
Get in line:
EU Investigates Qualcomm For Antitrust Activities
Qualcomm Faces EU Antitrust Charges Over "Predatory Pricing"
Qualcomm Fined $853 Million by South Korea for Antitrust Violations
Also at Bloomberg and The Verge.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Snotnose on Thursday January 19 2017, @04:33AM
that have been available for 50 years. Pharmabro buys a something, then jacks the price from $20 to $2000 for an epipen and he's cool. Qualcomm invents shit and decides how much people will pay within the 16 year patent window, and the farking US Government goes after them?
Newsbreak. People need certain drugs to stay alive. Nobody needs a 2-3-4-5G cellphone to stay alive. Ok, some peeps might. But for fucks sake, going after Qualcomm for this after seeing what the pharma companies are doing is sickening.
/ don't own any Qualcomm stocks
// nor options
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday January 19 2017, @05:19AM
Qualcomm agreed to license their patents under Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory terms in order to have them incorporated into the standard. The government is going after them for reneging on that agreement now that it's patents are necessary to produce a device compatible with the phone system.
That's not to say the pharmaceutical industry isn't packed full of anti-competitive activities that should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Lester on Thursday January 19 2017, @09:00AM
I sell A, B, C for 2,000. Other suppliers sell A, B, C for 100.
I sell X for 10,000. Other supplier can't sell it because I have the patent.
I go to the customers and say "If you don't buy my A, B, C, I won't sell you X that you need badly"
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 19 2017, @11:53AM
Pharmabro is screwing the general population.
Qualcomm is screwing well connected corporations.