Qualcomm Seeks iPhone Ban In China

Qualcomm Inc. filed lawsuits in China, seeking to stop the manufacture and sale of Apple iPhones in the country.

The chipmaker company filed the suits in a Beijing intellectual property court claiming patent infringement and seeking injunctive relief as it aims cause pain at Apple in the world’s largest market for smartphones and cut off production in a country where most iPhones are made.

The move means that Qualcomm is now seeking iPhone sales or import bans in the US, Germany, and China, which together make up many of Apple’s largest market.

“Apple employs technologies invented by Qualcomm without paying for them,” Christine Trimble said, Qualcomm's spokesperson.

Qualcomm’s suits are based on three non-standard essential patents, it said. They cover power management and a touchscreen technology called Force Touch that Apple uses in current iPhones, Qualcomm said. The inventions "are a few examples of the many Qualcomm technologies that Apple uses to improve its devices and increase its profits,” Trimble said.

Apple said in response that Qualcomm’s claim is meritless.

"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," Apple Inc. said in a statement.

“In our many years of ongoing negotiations with Qualcomm, these patents have never been discussed,” said Apple. “Like their other courtroom maneuvers, we believe this latest legal effort will fail.”

Apple is waging a global legal battle on Qualcomm's long-held practice of charging a percentage of the total price of iPhones and other Apple devices as a licensing fee for its patents.

In January, Apple accused Qualcomm of overcharging for intellectual property related to cellular wireless technologies. In July, four of Apple’s largest suppliers in Asia joined its legal battle against Qualcomm, alleging anti-competitive behavior and breaches of contract.

Qualcomm has sued the same four suppliers for refusing to pay royalties, at Apple’s request. The San Diego-based chipmaker has accused Apple of using its “enormous market power to coerce unfair and unreasonable license terms”, as well as patent infringement. It denies overcharging for the 3G and 4G technology that it claims provides an essential foundation for every smartphone.

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