Apple & Samsung Electronics Users May Be Due for a Share of a 480 million pound Payment in the Britain
Nearly thirty million people in the United Kingdom who acquired an Apple Inc. or Samsung Electronics mobile phone between the year 2015 and the year 2024 may be able to approximately £17 per claimant in the event that a buyer watchdog prevails in its legal action against the American technology firm Qualcomm.
Court Case Commences This Week
The consumer group is taking the tech giant to the CAT in the UK capital now.
The case between the watchdog and Qualcomm is projected to last over a month.
The organization is accusing the tech firm of unfair competition.
The group asserts that the firm compelled Apple Inc. & Samsung to pay excessive costs and patent charges for essential handset components, which then increased the cost of those mobile phones for consumers.
What the Case Will Examine
The trial beginning now will look into whether Qualcomm held dominance and, should that be the case, whether it exploited a powerful stance.
Should the consumer group is successful, there will be a second stage seeking £480 million from the tech firm, to be divided between an estimated twenty-nine million British consumers involved.
The organization is seeking damages for all affected Apple and Samsung smartphones bought between 1 October 2015 and early January 2024.
The watchdog estimates this would almost certainly amount at around seventeen pounds per person.
Earlier Allegations and Qualcomm's Statement
The chipmaker has in the past stated the legal action has "little merit".
A similar legal action against the tech giant is currently underway in Canada, and the corporation has also previously been sanctioned by the EU for antitrust practices.
The US regulator in the US sued the firm for restrictive tactics in the way it authorized use of its technology during 2017, but had its case thrown out in 2020.
Importance of the Trial
The chief executive of the consumer group remarked: "This case is a significant event. It illustrates how the power of buyers - supported by us - can be used to hold the major firms to account when they misuse their market power."
Qualcomm is one of the world's biggest producers of smartphone chips and has encountered claims about unfair practices before.
- Qualifying smartphones include Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics models bought between October 2015 and January 2024.
- The total payout being sought is £480 million.
- Individual payout is projected to be about seventeen pounds.
- The trial is proceeding at the CAT in London.
