Qualcomm asks US authorities to ban imports of some iPhone and iPad models
07 Jul 2017
In a new patent infringement lawsuit that Qualcomm has filed against Apple, the chipmaker has asked US authorities to ban imports of some iPhone and iPad models.
A Fortune report yesterday said Qualcomm filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), accusing Apple's iPhones and iPads of infringing six of its mobile patents.
Qualcomm said all iPhones and iPads that contain competing mobile communications chips should be barred from the country.
However, according to commentators, a decision on the ban, which could cover iPhone 7, 7 Plus and some future iPhones would take at least take up to 18 months and the upcoming iPhone 8 was not under any immediate threat.
In response Apple said Qualcomm had tried to negotiate before suing and the chipmaker was abusing its position.
"They supply us with a single connectivity component, but for years have been demanding a percentage of the total cost of our products - effectively taxing Apple's innovation," Fortune reported, citing an Apple statement.
"We believe deeply in the value of intellectual property but we shouldn't have to pay them for technology breakthroughs they have nothing to do with," the statement added.
Qualcomm claimed without its cellular technology, the iPhone was nothing more than a glorified iPod.
While an iPhone 7 was priced $700 or more, Qualcomm received $10 per iPhone for use of its thousands of cellular technology patents, according analysts at financial services firm, Canaccord Genuity.
According to commentators, Qualcomm could have an uphill battle on its hands convincing the ITC to issue a ban.
Even if the ITC did, the decision could be vetoed by the Trump administration.
Samsung won a ban on iPhone imports in a long-running patent dispute with Apple in 2013, but the Obama administration overturned the decision.
