A latest patent lawsuit filed by Qualcomm Inc against Apple Inc was thrown out by the German court. This happened after Qualcomm won a court ban based on the sale of some iPhones in Germany. The Mannheim court dismissed Qualcomm’s lawsuit considering it was groundless. According to the court, the patent in question was not violated by the installation of Qualcomm’s chipsets in Apple devices.
Apple said in a statement, “We are happy with the decision and thank the court for their time and diligence. We regret Qualcomm’s use of the court to divert attention from their illegal behaviour that is the subject of multiple lawsuits and proceedings around the world.” Qualcomm had earlier said that it would win against Apple in this patent controversy after winning a case in a Munich court in December that enabled it to ban sale of older iPhones in Germany.
Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm’s executive vice president and general counsel said, “Apple has a history of infringing our patents. While we disagree with the Mannheim court’s decision and will appeal, we will continue to enforce our (intellectual property) rights against Apple worldwide.” Apple did not comment upon the Mannheim decision, it just referred to a statement that it is appealing against. This is to say, the December 20 ruling in Munich.
Apple declared during the Munich ruling that it would no longer stock the iPhone 7 and 8 at its 15 retail outlets in Germany. The tech giant’s newer models, however, are still on sale through carriers and resellers. Gravis, who is the leading Apple reseller in Germany said that it is still doing its bid to stock full range of iPhones. Apart from Germany, Qualcomm has also secured a ban of iPhones in China. Apple is selling its iPhones in China in huge numbers but after the ban, it has made some changes to the iOS operating system.
Presently, Qualcomm is facing a U.S antitrust case brought by the Federal Trade Commission. The Federal Trade Commission has accused Qualcomm for abusing its monopoly over the mobile chip technology that can bring detrimental consequences on Apple.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
