The Apple lawsuit against Qualcomm is continuing, and a group of consumers are trying to talk District Court Judge Lucy Koh from imposing an import ban on iPhones that use Intel chips.
An import ban “would freeze out Intel’s nascent challenge to Qualcomm’s illegal monopoly,” the consumers said. It “would injure competition in a market already suffering from Qualcomm’s anticompetitive behavior.”
Qualcomm had previously filed patent infringement complaints against Apple, and a preliminary decision is expected to be handed down by September. What it all comes down to is how much Apple should be paying for using Qualcomm’s chips inside the iPhone.
The consumer filing was piggybacked on a filing by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission claiming Qualcomm is misusing their patents and position in the market to shut out competitors like Intel, particularly in popular devices like the iPhone.
Qualcomm argues that it does not have a monopoly and is entitled to compensation for pushing the technology forward. The chip maker says Apple is refusing to turn over information required by the court.
Trade judge Thomas Pinder has indicated he feels Apple is in violation of Qualcomm’s patent rights, and that the only remedy is import bans, locking Intel-equipped iPhones out of the U.S. market.
