3 Apple vs. Qualcomm & Qualcomm vs. Apple
If you’ve been following us in recent months, you’re likely no stranger to Apple’s currently ongoing, billion-dollar legal battle with its former iPhone modem supplier, Qualcomm.
Filed back in January of 2017, the initial salvo in this highly-publicized case was a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) injunction, filed with Apple’s joint blessing, accusing Qualcomm of what was described as “monopolistic practices” — in that the company obtained an unfair grip on the chip market by forcing Apple to use its modems, exclusively.
Since the initial claim was filed, we’ve covered an insufferable number of breaking news updates relevant to the case, including a whole new round of subsequent cases filed in various jurisdictions around the world, which manifested as a result of the original complaint.
While Apple has thus far remained safe from judgment in any of the pending, ongoing litigation, it’s worth noting that the company has nevertheless incurred a substantial legal expense fighting the battle. How much? At this point, it’s really tough to say — especially since the fight is still unfolding all around the world — but it’s estimated to have cost Apple as much as $1 billion thus far, according to an anecdotally titled exposé published by Bloomberg.
Qualcomm, meanwhile, has taken a magnificent hit of its own.. As of February, 2018, not only is the chip maker liable for billions of dollars in international fines and penalties levied against it, but its profits have plummeted by more than 40 percent, according to some reports.