Less than three months after being sued by Apple for $1 billion, Qualcomm is reportedly countersuing the iPhone maker in a dispute over licensing disputes.
According to reports, the chipmaker filed a 134-page lawsuit in response to an Apple charge about patent licensing and made some counterclaims of its own, which also alleges a breach of contract.
In a press release issued by Qulcomm, it mentioned that the countersuit details the value of the technologies Qualcomm has invented, contributed and shared with the industry through its licensing programme, as well as Apple’s failure to engage in good faith negotiations for a license to Qualcomm’s 3G and 4G standard essential patents on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.
Don Rosenberg, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Qualcomm, said, “The value of our inventions has been proven through hundreds of license agreements, negotiated and renegotiated over almost three decades, with virtually every significant handset maker in history, including the companies in Asia that have manufactured Apple iPhones and iPads.’
Qualcomm said that it seeks, among other things, damages from Apple for reneging on its promises in several agreements and to enjoin Apple from further interference with Qualcomm’s agreements with the companies that manufacture iPhones and iPads for Apple.
“Over the last ten years, Apple has played a significant role in bringing the benefits of mobile technology to consumers with its popular products and services,” said Rosenberg. “But Apple could not have built the incredible iPhone franchise that has made it the most profitable company in the world, capturing over 90 percent of smartphone profits, without relying upon Qualcomm’s fundamental cellular technologies. Now, after a decade of historic growth, Apple refuses to acknowledge the well-established and continuing value of those technologies. It has launched a global attack on Qualcomm and is attempting to use its enormous market power to coerce unfair and unreasonable license terms from Qualcomm. We intend to vigorously defend our business model, and pursue our right to protect and receive fair value for our technological contributions to the industry.”
