Qualcomm claims $7bn in royalties from Apple

Qualcomm's claims follow on from 2017 Apple patent demand

Qualcomm is demanding some $7 billion in what it claims are unpaid royalties from Apple in the latest twist in the two companies' intellectual property dispute.

Qualcomm rustled up the bill after Apple claimed that Qualcomm had overcharged it for patents covered by fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, some of which it suggests weren't even developed by Qualcomm.

The size of the claim was revealed in a San Diego, California court last week, and relates to Qualcomm parts used in Apple iPhones in the past. Apple no longer uses Qualcomm as a supplier.

The dispute dates back to 2017 when Apple accused Qualcomm of charging more than it should on patents "for technologies they have nothing to do with." This triggered a series of suits and countersuits which remain unresolved to this day, and which are set to run for years.

"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," Apple argued at the time.

Since then, the dispute has heated up, as both sides rummage through their patent portfolios for ‘weapons' that they can assert in the dispute, while also attempting to have their rival's patents invalidated.

Qualcomm, in addition, has attempted to get the iPhone banned in both China and the US. Last month, Qualcomm accused Apple of stealing technology from its chips to make ‘inferior' Intel ones better.

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