Qualcomm Wants iPhones Banned In China, Files Lawsuit

A major escalation in the legal battle between smartphone chip maker Qualcomm and iPhone manufacturer Apple has just occurred. It seems the former just filed a lawsuit in China intended to force a ban on all sales of iPhones. If it succeeds, the lawsuit would result in all units of the smartphone being prohibited from being sold or made in the country, which would be a huge blow to Apple.

This is the biggest shot that Qualcomm took at Apple, by far, Bloomberg reports. The Cupertino firm’s position in the country is precarious enough as it is, what with all of the security and privacy access that the Chinese government routinely demands and which the company continuously rebuffs. This lawsuit could finally cost Apple the Chinese market.

When asked to provide some details with regards to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Qualcomm told Bloomberg that it involved Apple’s violation of three patents. It’s worth pointing out that these patents are not exactly essential to standards within the tech industry. As such, Qualcomm had no obligations to license these patents.

Even so, this isn’t stopping the chipmaker from accusing Apple of using these patents without paying any of the license fees. For its part, the maker of the iPhone devices says that the claims are without merit and is confident that the lawsuit would lead nowhere The Verge reports.

“Apple believes deeply in the value of innovation, and we have always been willing to pay fair and reasonable rates for patents we use. In our many years of ongoing negotiations with Qualcomm, these patents have never been discussed and in fact were only granted in the last few months,” a spokesperson for Apple said. “Regulators around the world have found Qualcomm guilty of abusing their position for years. This claim is meritless and, like their other courtroom maneuvers, we believe this latest legal effort will fail.”