Rumor: Qualcomm hired the same PR agency as Facebook to blackmail Apple

Like Facebook, Qualcomm used the services of PR agency Definers Public Affairs to spread negative reports about competitor Apple, Business Insider claims. Apple and Qualcomm are engaged in a legal battle.

Business Insider says it was approached late last year by someone from Definers with suggestions for stories about Qualcomm and Apple. The American TV channel NBC has spoken with a former employee of Definers who also claims that Qualcomm is a client of the PR agency. That former employee confirms that Definers distributes stories for customers via conservative news site NTK Network. He refers to the site as an ‘in-house website for fake news’.

Qualcomm got into a legal battle with Apple over royalties and patents surrounding modems in smartphones. The iPhone maker switched from Qualcomm to Intel for the cellular network reception chips in its smartphones.

Definers made headlines this week because of its relationship with Facebook. The social network is said to have hired the PR agency to divert attention from its own problems through negative reports about competitors such as Google and Apple. The New York Times story already revealed that there was another tech company that used Definers’ services to give Apple negative publicity. Facebook confirms that it had a relationship with Definers, but denies that it has ever paid for negative reporting about other companies.