Apple & Samsung Users Might Be Eligible for a Portion of a 480 million pound Payment in the Britain
Close to thirty million individuals in the United Kingdom who bought an Apple and/or Samsung smartphone between 2015 to 2024 could be eligible to around seventeen pounds each should a buyer campaign group prevails in its legal action against the US corporation Qualcomm Inc..
Legal Action Commences This Week
The consumer group is taking the firm to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London now.
The case between the watchdog and Qualcomm is projected to continue for five weeks.
The body is alleging the semiconductor firm of restrictive behavior.
The group asserts that the company compelled Apple Inc. and Samsung to pay high fees and royalty payments for necessary handset components, which then raised the price of those devices for users.
The Details the Case Will Examine
The trial beginning on Monday will look into whether the chipmaker possessed dominance and, should that be the case, whether it misused a dominant position.
Should the watchdog is victorious, there will be a second stage requesting £480m from Qualcomm, to be distributed among an projected twenty-nine million UK phone owners involved.
The body is claiming compensation for all impacted Apple and Samsung mobile phones acquired between 1 October 2015 and 9 January 2024.
The watchdog says this would almost certainly work out at approximately seventeen pounds per individual.
Earlier Allegations and The Firm's Statement
The chipmaker has previously said the claim has "little merit".
A comparable claim against the tech giant is ongoing in the Canadian courts, and the firm has also previously been penalized by the European Union for anti-competitive breaches.
The US regulator in the United States sued the firm for restrictive tactics in the way it sold rights to its patents back in the year 2017, but had its legal action thrown out in the year 2020.
Significance of the Case
The CEO of the watchdog remarked: "This trial is a significant event. It demonstrates how the influence of the public - represented by the group - can be used to make the major firms to answer should they misuse their dominant position."
The firm is one of the largest global producers of handset semiconductors and has encountered accusations about unfair practices previously.
- Eligible devices include Apple & Samsung products purchased between 2015 and the start of 2024.
- The overall compensation being sought is £480m.
- Per-person payment is expected to be about seventeen pounds.
- The legal action is taking place at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London.
