Apple must pay Qualcomm $31 million for patent infringement

A US judge has ruled that Apple must pay Qualcomm $31 million for patent infringement. Apple allegedly infringed three patents. Qualcomm and Apple have been engaged in a legal battle for some time.

The damage amount of $31 million has been determined by a jury, who ruled in a case that was pending in the court in San Diego. These are three patents that Apple allegedly infringed with its iPhone. The case was brought as far back as 2017, and mainly revolves around the way the iPhone establishes internet connections, the processing of graphics and the handling of traffic between the application processor and the modem.

The damage amount came about because Apple has to pay $1.41 per iPhone infringing the patents. Incidentally, this concerns older models; the newer iPhones would not infringe on the patents.

In a statement reported by Cnet, Qualcomm considers the jury’s verdict a victory, confirming that Apple can’t get away with using other people’s technology without paying. Apple, in turn, says it is disappointed in the ruling and sees the case as a distraction from the fact that Qualcomm has questionable business practices.

Apple and Qualcomm have been fighting a legal battle for years. Incidentally, Apple currently has the upper hand; the judge recently announced that Qualcomm has to pay Apple $1 billion because of Qualcomm’s refusal to pay compensation, as a result of licensing costs incurred where a refund was contractually agreed. Soon there will be another case in San Diego, which revolves around licensing costs for Qualcomm technology, which should be paid by Apple.