时间:2025-04-26 17:23:55 来源:网络整理编辑:探索
Cue the Tom Petty, because nobody's backing down in the Apple vs. Qualcomm legal battle.On Tuesday,
Cue the Tom Petty, because nobody's backing down in the Apple vs. Qualcomm legal battle.
On Tuesday, opening arguments from Apple and Qualcomm will begin in a federal court in San Diego. Apple is suing Qualcomm for what it alleges are anti-competitive practices. Qualcomm says Apple needs to pay for its IP, without which the iPhone would not exist. Apple has sued Qualcomm for $1 billion, but billions more could be at stake.
The battle has been brewing for years. Here is everything you need to know about the case.
Beginning in 2011, Apple sold iPhones with Qualcomm chips inside that powered the device's connection to cellular networks. For years, Qualcomm was the exclusive chip provider for Apple. But then things got messy.
In addition to actually paying for Qualcomm's chips, Apple has to pay a licensing fee for the intellectual property that enables smartphones to connect to the internet through the baseband processor. Because Qualcomm is the exclusive holder of the patents, Apple is alleging anti-competitive practices.
As part of their agreement for Apple to exclusively use Qualcomm chips between 2013 and 2016, Qualcomm agreed to pay Apple a $1 billion rebate annually. Part of this agreement included Apple not cooperating with regulators, and not working with other chip makers.
As Apple improved (and raised the prices of) the iPhone, Apple reportedly became frustrated with the slice of the pie that Qualcomm was demanding, arguing that Qualcomm was riding the coattails of Apple's innovation. Apple began exploring working with another chipmaker, Intel. It also started cooperating with Korean regulators that were looking into Qualcomm's IP royalty policies. Then, shots were fired.
Qualcomm refused to pay the $1 billion annual fee in 2016. Apple subsequently refused to pay the royalty fees, and by 2017, switched over to using Intel chips, instead of Qualcomm.
In January 2017, Apple filed its complaint against Qualcomm, asking the courts to reduce the royalty rates, and to pay the $1 billion it owed. Qualcomm fired back with lawsuits of its own, alleging that Apple was in breach of contract for not paying royalties, and for working with Intel. What's more, the FTC filed an antitrust suit against Qualcomm, that it prosecuted in January.
The judge on the FTC case has not yet made a ruling, although she has told Qualcomm that it has to license its patents to other chipmakers — which it had refused to do before.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm won a patent infringement case against Apple related to patents involving battery life and starting up the phone. That could help set legal precedent for the main event.
Qualcomm wants its royalty money back, to the tune of $7 billion. But its whole business model—of both selling chips and licensing the IP behind the whole cellular connectivity system—is at stake.
Apple's manufacturers, which joined Apple in the suit, and are the ones that actually pay the fees (Apple reimburses them), want $27 billion in restitution for what they think are unfair royalty payments. They could get three times that amount, if the court finds that Qualcomm has violated antitrust law.
Apple also wants Qualcomm IP fees brought down to 5 percent of the price of the chip, which would be $1.50 per device — down from $7.50.
This is likely to affect consumers in two ways: price and 5G connectivity.
If Qualcomm wins, Apple may raise the price of its iPhones even higher. If Apple wins, there's no guarantee Apple won't raise prices, but at least it has one less incentive to make them more expensive.
It could also affect when you get your 5G iPhone. Just as it did with 3G and 4G, Qualcomm holds key patents related to the mobile chip technology that will allow smartphones to connect to 5G networks. Using Intel chips, iPhones reportedly won't get 5G until at least 2020, and maybe even later. So if Apple and Qualcomm can't work out their differences, 5G on iPhones could still be a long, expensive way off.
Topics5GAppleiPhone
We asked linguists if Donald Trump speaks like that on purpose2025-04-26 17:19
姆巴佩與巴黎決裂 !冬窗離隊 巴黎 :不許去皇馬 !2025-04-26 16:41
魔獸發威!武漢三鎮12025-04-26 16:26
吹不動了!哈蘭德半場雙響打卡下班 28球僅次姆巴佩2025-04-26 16:23
Whyd voice2025-04-26 15:59
太背 !C羅8射1正+空門中柱 賽季33射就進一點球2025-04-26 15:51
浙江隊官方:外援中衛盧卡斯心髒不適 將返回巴西檢查治療2025-04-26 15:44
安切洛蒂 :本澤馬首發小熊未必 毫不在乎首發曝光2025-04-26 15:42
Richard Branson 'thought he was going to die' in bike accident2025-04-26 15:15
中超第22輪最佳球員 :大連人隊球員商隱傳射建功當選2025-04-26 15:02
There's a big piece of fake chicken stuck to this phone case2025-04-26 16:52
三鎮外援結伴體驗越野摩托 馬爾康攜新婚嬌妻(GIF)2025-04-26 16:50
中超積分榜:泰山絕平仍落後三鎮3分 國安暫列第82025-04-26 16:20
中超積分榜:泰山絕殺距三鎮僅差1分 國安暫列第92025-04-26 16:17
Donald Trump's tangled web of Russian influence2025-04-26 15:49
李瑋鋒:球隊總是在輸球 隊員自信顯然會差很多2025-04-26 15:22
滬媒怒批海港:這麽踢足協杯不可能奪冠 恩迪亞耶辣眼睛2025-04-26 15:11
大連人官方:歡迎提供故意抹黑俱樂部內容 將提交給聯合調查組2025-04-26 15:00
Whyd voice2025-04-26 14:41
媒體人曝中超引援貓膩太多:利益誘惑下 拚命抬價相互拆台2025-04-26 14:40