Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), is involved in a very thick process with Qualcomm, which aims to force those from Cupertino to pay the licenses for technologies that it has been using for free for about a year. Apple claims that it was blackmailed by Qualcomm to buy licenses for these technologies and refuses to pay the licenses for them, and to impose its point of view it called its partners for help.
Apple convinced companies such as Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron and Compal not to pay licensing fees to Qualcomm, and of course these companies were sued. Because they probably didn't want that, the Apple company undertook to pay them all the legal costs associated with such a dispute, which could amount to several million dollars, or maybe even more.
Apple is also supported by the American authorities, who also accused Qualcomm of unfair competition since January. Considering that including the American authorities are on the side of those from Apple, it is quite clear how things are at the moment and who has the most to lose from these lawsuits, the judges have an extremely difficult decision in front of them.
Apple was sued by Qualcomm and in other countries separately from the US, to ensure that it will at least win somewhere. Qualcomm's president stated the other day that he is open to an amicable resolution of the differences between the two companies, but it remains to be seen whether or not a possible agreement will be reached.
“[The companies allege] that Qualcomm violated two sections of the Sherman Act, a US antitrust law. The accusations, made in a filing late Tuesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of California, are counterclaims to a Qualcomm lawsuit filed in May seeking to force the contractors to pay Qualcomm license fees that Apple directed them to stop paying."
