In a surprise development, Apple and Qualcomm have settled their
billion dollar smartphone litigation cases worldwide.
The litigation, which started in 2017, centred on an Apple
complaint that Qualcomm were charging Apple a disproportionate
amount for use of Qualcomm's patents relating to smartphone
modems, and Qualcomm suing Apple for alleged infringement of six of
their patents relating to extending the battery life of a
smartphone.
Just as a trial had begun in San Diego, US, to decide one of the
suits Apple had filed alleging Qualcomm had overcharged them and
their Asian iPhone manufacturing contractors for patent royalties,
the two companies released a statement announcing that all litigation had
been dropped. The settlement involves the cessation of all
litigation, a payment from Apple to Qualcomm, a six year global
patent licence agreement and a multi-year chipset supply
agreement.
