🔗 Share this article

Nearly thirty million people in the United Kingdom who acquired an Apple Inc. and/or Samsung smartphone from the year 2015 and 2024 could be entitled to around seventeen pounds each if a buyer advocacy organization prevails in its lawsuit against the American technology firm Qualcomm Inc..

Court Case Commences Today

The consumer group is taking the tech giant to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London this week.

The legal proceedings involving the consumer group and Qualcomm is anticipated to run for around 35 days.

The organization is claiming the tech firm of anti-competitive practices.

The allegation is that the corporation compelled Apple & Samsung Electronics to pay high fees and patent charges for critical handset components, which then increased the expense of those devices for buyers.

The Details the Trial Will Decide

The legal proceedings beginning now will focus on whether Qualcomm possessed control and, if so, whether it exploited a dominant position.

Should the consumer group is successful, there will be a subsequent step seeking 480 million pounds from Qualcomm, to be distributed among an projected twenty-nine million UK smartphone users impacted.

The organization is seeking damages for all affected Apple & Samsung Electronics handsets acquired between October 1, 2015 and 9 January 2024.

The group states this would almost certainly calculate at approximately seventeen pounds each.

Previous Allegations and Qualcomm's Response

The chipmaker has previously said the case has "no basis".

A parallel claim against Qualcomm is currently underway in Canada, and the firm has also in the past been penalized by the European Union for anti-competition breaches.

The FTC in the US sued the corporation for unfair practices in the way it authorized use of its innovations back in 2017, but had its claim dismissed in 2020.

Significance of the Legal Action

The CEO of the watchdog remarked: "This case is a major milestone. It shows how the collective strength of the public - backed by us - can be used to make the biggest companies to answer when they misuse their market power."

The firm is one of the world's biggest producers of smartphone chips and has been subject to allegations about unfair practices before.

• Affected smartphones include Apple Inc. & Samsung phones bought between the end of 2015 and 2024.
• The overall compensation demanded is £480 million.
• Individual payout is estimated to be approximately £17.
• The trial is proceeding at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London.