As reported by AppleInsider, Apple is facing another potential sales ban in Germany, as the German court in Munich has ruled that the company stands in violation of a Qualcomm patent.
Judge Matthias Zigann ruled that the Cupertino, California-based company has violated Qualcomm patents on iPhones with Intel modems —which includes all smartphones sold in Germany. Apple supplier Qorvo violated an “envelope tracking” patent held by Qualcomm, vital to conservation of battery power while the modem is active, according to AppleInsider. The ban will not immediately take place in Germany if — well, make that until — Apple appeals the ruling.
And it does plan to appeal. In the meantime, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models won’t be available for purchase at Apple retail stores in Germany.
This is all part of a legal battle that goes back almost two years. In January 2017 Apple sued Qualcomm, alleging the chip supplier demanded unfair terms for its technology (which the company, of course, denied). Around the same time, the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in a federal district court charging the supplier of baseband processors with using anticompetitive tactics to maintain its monopoly in the supply of a key semiconductor device used in cell phones and other consumer products.
Qualcomm claims it went out of its way to offer alternative licensing (which Apple rejected), and that, in suing Qualcomm, Apple is motivated by reducing the cost to make iPhones.
