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Amazon, Google, Intel and Samsung support Apple in legal fight against Qualcomm

By Cookie Monster - on 23 Jul 2017, 12:00am

Amazon, Google, Intel and Samsung support Apple in legal fight against Qualcomm

The odds are stacked against Qualcomm in its ongoing legal fight with Apple.

According to Reuters, the Computer & Communications Industry filed comments with the U.S International Trade Commission (ITC) to reject Qualcomm's request to ban the import of iPhones. The Computer & Communications Industry is a lobbying group consisting of Alphabet Inc's Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Intel and Samsung. In its statements, the lobbying group argues that Qualcomm's request would cause "significant shocks to supply" for phones and would hurt consumers.

"If the ITC were to grant this exclusion order, it would help Qualcomm use its monopoly power for further leverage against Apple and allow them to drive up prices on consumer devices," Ed Black, the CEO of the group, said in a statement. “What’s at stake here is certainly the availability of iPhones and other smartphones at better prices."

Qualcomm is coming under fire for its anti-competitive policies and unfair royalty fees. The U.S Federal Trade Commission sued Qualcomm for its "no license, no chip" policy in January. Apple also sued Qualcomm for US$1 billion. The iPhone maker followed up with two lawsuits against Qualcomm in China and another one in the U.K. 

In April, Qualcomm countersued Apple in the U.S and later claimed that Apple infringed on its patents. Apple responded by stating that Qualcomm's chip licenses are invalid. Looking at how things are going, it could take a while for the legal dispute to play out. 

Source: Reuters via 9to5Mac

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