The Qualcomm company decided to sue Apple in the US as a reaction to the lawsuits that those from Cupertino have already opened in several important countries on the planet. In a 134-page complaint, Qualcomm denies Apple's accusations of blackmail and forcing it to license certain technologies just to be able to buy the modem chips for the iPhone and iPad.
Qualcomm claims that Apple is trying to force it to substantially reduce its prices for the components it sells for the iPhone and iPad, considering that the final prices are much lower than normal. Qualcomm claims that Apple recorded revenues of 760 billion dollars thanks to the sales of iPhone terminals worldwide and that for this they should also pay licensing fees accordingly.
Moreover, Qualcomm accuses Apple of having violated the concluded contracts and of having intervened in the contractual relations between Qualcomm and other partner companies. Apple is also accused of refusing to make certain payments to Qualcomm as part of the concluded contracts, those from Cupertino being blamed for allegedly making false statements to government agencies.
Apple claimed in its lawsuits that the way Qualcomm acts affected its ability to produce and sell its products, but Qualcomm claims that everything is actually Apple's fault. Finally, those from Qualcomm say that Apple could not have created its iPhone terminals and iPad tablets without its modem chips, and that after 10 years of using them, it refuses to recognize their value.
"Apple's goal is clear — to leverage its immense power to force Qualcomm into accepting less than fair value for the patented technologies that have led innovation in cellular technology and helped Apple generate more than $760 billion in iPhone sales."
The reality is that Qualcomm and Apple have been collaborating for an extremely long time, and the modems implemented in iDevices had very good performances that helped Apple sell so many units. In the end, the lawsuits between the two companies will probably end with an out-of-court settlement, and Apple will most likely pay the outstanding amounts.
"Apple could not have built the incredible iPhone franchise that has made it the most profitable company in the world, capturing over 90 percent of smartphone profits, without relying on Qualcomm's fundamental cellular technologies," Qualcomm said. "Now, after a decade of historic growth, Apple refuses to acknowledge the well established and continuing value of those technologies."
Very good, Apple to pay. They imagine that Qualcomm or Samsung are seed companies that they can deal with like others. You buy good components for hellish years from them and then you get hysterical. I hope they take it seriously, including from the European Council for tax fraud. At least they will return with their feet on the ground, where they belong.