In a new move in the on-going dispute between Apple and Qualcomm, the chip supplier has sued four iPhone suppliers directly. Qualcomm has already filed a countersuit against Apple itself.
The mess began when the FTC accused Qualcomm of effectively giving itself a monopoly by saying that it would charge Apple higher patent royalties unless the company agreed not to source baseband processors from its competitors. Apple then sued Qualcomm in several different countries, Qualcomm countersued, tried to get iPhone imports banned and said that iPhone suppliers were withholding around $1B in overdue royalties.
Even Samsung is on Apple’s side, but Qualcomm isn’t giving up …
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