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iDownload Blog reports that Apple has announced that it is suing Qualcomm, the company that makes iPhone modems and owns lots of wireless patents, for $1 billion. The move comes “after years of disagreement over what constitutes a fair and reasonable royalty,” said Apple in a statement.
Apple alleges in the lawsuit that Qualcomm withheld almost $1 billion in payments to Apple as a way of punishing Apple for cooperating with the Korea Fair Trade Commission, which has just issued Qualcomm with an $850 million fine due to its patent licensing activities.
Apple says that Qualcomm charged royalties for technology that “they have nothing to do with.” Apple also accused Qualcomm of using exclusionary tactics to increase its dominance in the industry. Apple and Samsung devices made up almost half of Qualcomm’s $23.5 billion revenue in its most recent fiscal year.
Qualcomm has responded to Apple’s charges by saying that they are groundless, and that Apple has “misrepresented facts.”
Sources: Apple sues Qualcomm over withholding $1B as ransom in Korean legal investigation