US: Judge grants Qualcomm’s motion to streamline Apple suit

According to a report from Court House News, a federal judge dismissed claims by Apple involving a handful of Qualcomm’s patents in the ongoing dispute between the two technology giants over chipsets used in smartphones.

US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel dismissed 56 claims brought by Apple relating to nine of Qualcomm’s patents-in-suit at issue. The antitrust litigation accuses Qualcomm of monopolizing the chipset technology and overcharging the iPhone maker and its contract manufacturers for it.

Last month, Qualcomm’s attorney Evan Chesler told the judge Apple and its contract manufacturers, including Compal Electronics, owed billions in unpaid royalties for using the chipset technology.

Chesler said the dispute between the tech companies was not over individual patents owned by Qualcomm, but the licensing agreements entered into by the parties for use of Qualcomm’s portfolio of thousands of patents.

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.