Qualcomm lands roundhouse in Apple legal battle

The on-going legal battle between Qualcomm and Apple has taken a twist as the US District Court for the Southern District of California has ruled in favour of Qualcomm.

The court has decided Apple’s iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and X infringe two Qualcomm patents, while the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X devices infringe on a third. As a result, the jury has awarded Qualcomm $31 million in damages.

“Today’s unanimous jury verdict is the latest victory in our worldwide patent litigation directed at holding Apple accountable for using our valuable technologies without paying for them,” said Don Rosenberg, General Counsel for Qualcomm.

“The technologies invented by Qualcomm and others are what made it possible for Apple to enter the market and become so successful so quickly. The three patents found to be infringed in this case represent just a small fraction of Qualcomm’s valuable portfolio of tens of thousands of patents. We are gratified that courts all over the world are rejecting Apple’s strategy of refusing to pay for the use of our IP.”

The three patents support different functions on iPhones, all of which has become normalised features of the devices. Patent No. 8,838,949 enables ‘flashless booting’, removing the need for a separate flash memory and allowing smartphones to connect to the internet quicker after being turned on. Patent No. 9,535,490 speeds up internet connections. Finally, Patent No. 8,633,936 enables high performance and rich visual graphics for games, while also increasing battery efficiency.

The $31 million bill will actually mean very little to Apple. Looking at the iLeader’s 2018 full year results, it would take just under 62 minutes Apple to generate revenues to cover the $31 million, though it does set precedent around the world.

Alongside this ruling in San Diego, courts in China and Germany has also ruled Apple has infringed Qualcomm patents, questioning whether Apple is legally allowed to continue sales not only in these countries, but other territories around the world. In Germany, Apple has been barred from selling any iPhone 7 and 8 models, while in China all devices from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone X have also been banned from sale.

The legal battle between two of the digital economy’s heavyweights has been dragging on for some time now, but this round has been undeniably chalked up to Qualcomm.