Qualcomm sues Apple suppliers amid global patent battle
Qualcomm is suing the four companies Apple uses to make iPhones and iPads for failing to provide royalty payments, after they received instructions from Apple not to pay.
The lawsuit names Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal, all of which Qualcomm says have stopped paying royalties for patented technologies used in Apple’s products.
Apple instructed the four companies not to pay while it litigated a patent fight — which includes lawsuits in the US, China, and England — against Qualcomm. Apple says Qualcomm has been abusing its position as the dominant supplier of smartphone modems to charge unreasonably high rates to license its patents. Evidently, it’s hoping not to pay until a judge weighs in.
