Qualcomm brings fresh lawsuit against Apple
04 Nov 2017
Qualcomm has brought another lawsuit in its ongoing legal battle with Apple, claiming that the iPhone maker did not comply with the terms of a software licensing contract and shared proprietary code with rival Intel, Bloomberg reported.
In its lawsuit in a California state court Qualcomm claimed that Apple broke a contract when it emailed Qualcomm asking for ''highly confidential'' information about the working of its chips in devices that run an unnamed carrier's network.
The suit points out that in a request from Apple for proprietary Qualcomm information, an Intel engineer figured in the distribution list.
Apple started using Intel chips in the iPhone 7 in its bid to diversify its supply chain, a move widely seen as a major blow to Qualcomm, which had been the exclusive chip supplier for iPhones and iPads.
According to reports earlier this week, Apple has been looking to do away with Qualcomm's chips in its iPhones and iPads, possibly ditching Qualcomm's products entirely. That decision is yet to be finalised, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Earlier this year, in a $1-billion lawsuit Apple contended that the chipmaker insisted on heavy royalties for its technologies and also demanded payments for technologies it did not develop, such as Apple's Touch ID.
According to Qualcomm's suit, Apple failed to separate engineers working with Qualcomm and Intel chips, and that those working with Intel may have been given access to key information about its competitor's technologies. The suit notes that in a request from Apple for proprietary Qualcomm information, an Intel engineer was on the distribution list.
According to commentators, the lawsuit filed yesterday in a San Diego court suggests that the legal skirmish between the two companies that began earlier this year is likely to be long drawn out.
They say the standoff has seen a significant pushback from Qualcomm with the company seeking injunctions in both the US and China against the sales of iPhones that use the company's wireless tech.