Qualcomm trying to get iPhone sales banned in China

Qualcomm has launched a new lawsuit against Apple, asking a Chinese court to block the sale and manufacturing of iPhones within the country, the Verge reports, citing Bloomberg.

It is thought to be the latest strike in a legal war between the two companies, which started out in the US and has since expanded worldwide.

In its lawsuit, Qualcomm reportedly claims that Apple is in violation of three patents, none of which are essential to any industry standards — meaning Qualcomm isn’t obligated to license them. "Apple employs technologies invented by Qualcomm without paying for them,” a Qualcomm spokesperson told Bloomberg. Those patents are said to cover power management and the iPhone’s Force Touch feature.

In a statement, Apple said the claims were “meritless,” and that it believed the effort would fail. It suggested the effort was opportunistic, because Qualcomm hadn’t brought up the patents during negotiations and had only issued them recently.


“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,” an Apple spokesperson 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.”