Qualcomm Inc. said it won a ruling in China against Apple Inc. that bans the sale of several iPhone models in that country. The Fuzhou…
Qualcomm Inc. said it won a ruling in China against Apple Inc. that bans the sale of several iPhone models in that country.
The Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court ruled that Apple is infringing two Qualcomm patents and issued injunctions against the sale of the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, the San Diego, California-based chipmaker said in a statement Monday. The most recent models introduced in September, the iPhone XS, XR and XS Max, are not covered by the ban.
The ruling could potentially affect iPhone sales in the world’s biggest market for smartphones, where the company generates about a fifth of its revenue, and comes at time when demand for Apple’s most important product is slowing.
The two U. S. companies are locked in a worldwide dispute over licensing fees that Qualcomm charges for use of technology that the chipmaker says underpins all modern phone systems. Apple has argued that its former supplier unfairly leverages its position as the biggest supplier of chips for smartphones to force payment of the fees. Qualcomm has countered that Apple is using its intellectual property without paying for it and the legal cases are aimed at forcing it to lower licensing charges.
“Apple continues to benefit from our intellectual property while refusing to compensate us,” Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel at Qualcomm, said in a statement. “These court orders are further confirmation of the strength of Qualcomm’s vast patent portfolio.”
“Qualcomm’s effort to ban our products is another desperate move by a company whose illegal practices are under investigation by regulators around the world,” Apple said in a statement.
