Apple vs. Qualcomm: all of the updates on the worldwide legal battle – The Verge

Supreme Court rejects Apple’s bid to continue fighting over two Qualcomm patents

2022-06-27T14:44:23-04:00

The Supreme Court declined Apple's bid (pdf) for a hearing over two Qualcomm patents (US Patent No. 7,844,037 and US Patent No. 8,683,362) that were part of lawsuits filed in 2017, claiming infringement by Apple's iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.

Reuters points out that Apple and Qualcomm's 2019 settlement of a worldwide legal battle over patents largely ended the squabbling in favor of a six-year licensing agreement but allowed a case in front of the Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board to continue. There, Apple argued the two patents should be invalid, but the board ruled in Qualcomm's favor.

Last April, the Fede …

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Apple buys Intel’s smartphone modem business

2019-07-25T16:02:15-04:00

Apple will acquire "the majority" of Intel's smartphone modem business for $1 billion, the two companies announced today. Around 2,200 Intel employees will join Apple, and Apple will acquire IP and equipment from Intel as well. The transaction is expected to close toward the end of the year.

Intel won't be getting out of the modem business entirely. It'll still be able to develop modems for PCs, Internet of Things devices, autonomous vehicles, and seemingly anything that's not a smartphone. Intel CEO Bob Swan said the acquisition will allow the company to focus on developing other 5G technologies.

The acquisition means that Apple is now we …

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Five big questions about Apple and Qualcomm’s surprise settlement

2019-04-17T09:58:58-04:00

On the second day of their blockbuster trial, Apple and Qualcomm announced that they had reached a settlement and would "dismiss all litigation between the two companies worldwide." It's a surprisingly amicable result, especially considering the two years of legal battles that led up to it. But the publicly announced details have left some major questions about what happened and the big implications for Apple's first 5G phone.

Apple first announced it was suing Qualcomm back in January 2017 over allegedly unfair patent fees for smartphone modems, after which the two companies got to work taking pot shots at one another. Qualcomm attempted ( …

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Intel says it will exit the 5G phone business as Apple and Qualcomm strike multiyear deal

2019-04-16T19:51:29-04:00

Intel this evening says it has decided to leave the 5G mobile modem market to focus its efforts more on 4G and 5G modems for PCs and smart home devices, as well as its broader 5G infrastructure business. The announcement comes just hours after Apple and Qualcomm struck a surprise settlement in the two companies' ongoing patent infringement and royalties dispute related to Apple's use of Qualcomm modems in the iPhone.

It's likely Intel's decision here was what prompted Apple and Qualcomm's decision to settle - which came as quite a surprise since it happened just as lawyers were presenting opening arguments at the latest courtroom trial that …

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Judge recommends import ban on iPhones after latest Apple vs. Qualcomm verdict

2019-03-26T15:12:40-04:00

The latest chapter in the ongoing and messy Apple versus Qualcomm legal battle might mean a US import ban on some iPhone models. A US trade judge has found Apple guilty of infringing on two Qualcomm patents related to power management and data download speeds. As a result, the judge - International Trade Commission Judge MaryJoan McNamara - says some iPhone models containing competing Intel modems might be blocked from shipping from China, where they're manufactured, to the US.

The judgment is still pending review by the ITC. And it's possible that, on review, things could change: in a separate ITC ruling today, Qualcomm lost another opport …

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Apple’s workaround to Qualcomm patent woes in Germany is to use Qualcomm chips

2019-02-14T05:44:42-05:00

The iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, and 8 Plus are once again available in Germany, after a patent dispute forced Apple to withdraw the sale of the phones at the beginning of January (via The Wall Street Journal). In a statement, the company said that "to ensure all iPhone models can again be available to customers in Germany, we have no choice but to stop using Intel chips and ship our phones with Qualcomm chips in Germany."

The workaround mirrors a move by the company in China, where Apple released a software update in the region that tweaked one of its animations in an attempt to circumvent the sales ban. Qualcomm had previously won a court injunct …

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Apple says Qualcomm refused to sell it chips for the latest iPhones

2019-01-14T15:23:17-05:00

Apple says it wanted to use Qualcomm modems in the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR - but that Qualcomm refused to sell them after Apple sued over its licensing practices. "In the end they would not support us or sell us chips," Apple's chief operating officer Jeff Williams revealed today during his testimony to the US Federal Trade Commission, as spotted by CNET. Apple had to use Intel's LTE chips instead.

Qualcomm is currently on trial, accused of engaging in monopolistic practices including charging unusually high royalty rates, refusing to license patents to other chipmakers, and promising deals to customers like Apple if they exclusively used …

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Apple stops selling iPhone 7 and 8 in its German stores following Qualcomm court win

2019-01-04T09:01:28-05:00

Apple has pulled the sales of the iPhone 7 and 8 from its German website and stores, following a ruling in the District Court of Munich. The ruling said that those two models of the iPhone were infringing on Qualcomm's intellectual property related to power savings in smartphones, via TechCrunch.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 are nowhere to be found

While the ruling occurred last month, Qualcomm was required by the court to post €1.34 billion in security bonds before it would be enforced, which is now occurring. A quick check of Apple's German site confirms the change: only the newer iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max are listed; the iPhone 7 and 8 are n …

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Apple will pull older iPhones from its German stores after Qualcomm wins partial ban

2018-12-20T13:53:18-05:00

Apple will be pulling iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models from its stores in Germany following a win for Qualcomm in the District Court of Munich, which ruled that Apple's devices were infringing on Qualcomm's intellectual property related to power savings in smartphones.

According to CNBC, Apple is already working to appeal the ruling, but the company has stated that as part of that process, it will be suspending sales of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 in the 15 Apple stores in Germany. Newer devices, like the iPhone XS and XR, are unaffected by the ruling, and the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 will still be available from third-party sellers and carriers as …

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Apple tweaks iOS animation in China in attempt to avoid sales ban

2018-12-19T12:11:28-05:00

Apple released a tiny update to iOS this week designed to avoid a sales ban in China. iOS version 12.1.2 contains software changes exclusive to China that are designed to circumvent Apple's patent dispute with Qualcomm, which won an initial sales ban over claims that Apple violated a pair of its patents.

The update changes the animation for when an app is forced to close, according to MacRumors, seemingly avoiding a Qualcomm patent around app management. Previously a closed app would slide off the top of the screen, but it now shrinks and disappears into the middle of the screen.

Last month, Qualcomm won a court injunction that banned Appl …

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