Qualcomm which provides chips for iPhone wants to ban the import and sale of iPhones in the United States. The company made the statement today. The chip maker is filling a formal complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC). This is by far the most severe development in the legal dispute which is ongoing from Qualcomm and Apple.
There is six patent rights violation on which Qualcomm is fighting against the Apple. The chip maker is a manufacturer of a big range of consumer electronics. It is seeking action against iPhone which it believes infringes upon its patents.
Moreover, the company is also seeking investigations on iPhones that house Intel chips instead of its own. The company hopes that the investigations will begin by August this year and the trail will begin by next year.
Qualcomm contends that the patents infringed provide extended battery life along with high performance for iPhone. The company even released a pdf document detailing how this technology works. Moreover, saying that iPhone is using it without paying for it.
The company wants that all Apple products which infringe upon patent rights should cease from the market. Moreover, all the related activities such as marketing, demonstration, advertising and warehousing of the Apple inventory for the distribution should stop. The company also wants a complete ban on the imported products in the US.
Apart from filing a complaint at the ITC, Qualcomm has also filed a complaint at the US District Court of Southern California. It is likely that the court will stay the case until it hears a word from ITC’s investigations. If the case does not stay then it will go on to trial within two years.
The company has declined to comment on any sort of out-of-court settlement with Apple.
It is not yet clear as to how many Apple iPhones will see an effect on sales if there is a ruling in favour of Qualcomm. However, it would be interesting to see how the release of iPhone 8 is shaken by this event. A better picture will emerge after the investigation is completed by the ITC.
The trial is due until next year and therefore the sales impact on iPhone might not see big numbers. Moreover, it is highly unlikely that Apple will sit quite for long. Until Apple comes out with a statement none can have a clear picture.