Apple vs Qualcomm: Who Extorted Whom?

Apple would have gone with WiMAX, if Qualcomm hadn't agreed to pay to Apple

Junko Yoshida, EETimes
9/6/2017 00:01 AM EDT

MADISON, Wis. — A dispute that has now escalated into an epic legal battle between technology juggernauts, Apple and Qualcomm, is complex and multi-layered, its facets all loosely connected and geographically sprawling.

The simple narrative, told by Apple, is that Qualcomm has illegally maintained a monopoly over the semiconductors used in cellphones.

The U.S. Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has argued that Qualcomm customers "accept elevated patent royalties they otherwise would refuse" because they’re forced "to negotiate in the shadow of Qualcomm's threat to withhold chips." As a result, "Qualcomm collects far more in royalties than other licensors in the industry with comparable patent portfolios."

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