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US: Apple source says no settlement talks with Qualcomm

By  |  November 7, 2018

Apple isn’t in talks “at any level” to settle its Qualcomm  legal dispute, according to a Reuters source. The source says Apple is “gearing up for trial” with “no settlement in sight.”

Last year, Apple sued Qualcomm in federal court alleging the chip company taking a cut of phone selling prices for a patent license fee was illegal. Qualcomm denied the claim and countered that Apple owes US$7 billion in unpaid royalties.

A source familiar with the situation said this week that there are no settlement talks between Apple and Qualcomm.

“There is absolutely no meaningful discussion taking place between us and Qualcomm, and there is no settlement in sight,” the person said. “We are gearing up for trial.”

The FTC case dates back to January 2017 and accuses Qualcomm of forcing companies like Apple to buy its wireless chips in exchange for better patent royalty rates. Apple was in an exclusive modem supply arrangement with Qualcomm for several years, but started mixing in Intel chips with 2016’s iPhone 7, and is now Intel-only with the iPhone XS.

Full Content: Reuters
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