IP battle between tech giants continues

Companies in California who need to guard their intellectual property can often learn a lot about this topic by watching the activities of other businesses. For the past couple of years now, two technology giants headquartered in the state have been at odds with each other over alleged intellectual property infringements.

As explained by Tech Times, Apple filed a lawsuit against the chipmaker Qualcomm, who was a key supplier of technology components to Apple. The suit alleged that the chipmaker employed practices to guard its patents that were illegal. Furthermore, it was alleged that this was done so that Qualcomm’s market position would essentially remain untouchable. Another leading chipmaker based in the Pacific Northwest sided with Apple in the matter. This lawsuit was an antitrust suit.

Fast forward to 2019 and now it is Qualcomm who is suing Apple. At the heart of the current dispute is the allegation that Apple illegally used three different patents held by Qualcomm to its benefit. The chipmaker has attached a $1.40 price tag per phone sold by Apple between the summer of 2017 and the fall of 2018 to the damages, resulting in the current suit seeking $31 million.

A lawsuit is expected to last for eight days and will begin in April. Between now and the trial date, key testimony may be gathered such as that from a former Apple engineer. It is unclear if the matter will be able to be settled before the trial date or how the whole event may impact any future business relationship between the companies.