LONDON – A judge in Germany ruled that one of the patent infringement cases brought by Qualcomm against Apple is groundless. The patent in question was related to power management technology. It also emerged that the semi-conductor giant had refused to sell chips for use in iPhones, in response to separate legal wranglings over licensing practices.
Qualcomm to Appeal Ruling
Qualcomm alleged that Apple violated a patent form 2009 that covered power management in transistors (via AppleInsider). It said that iPhones up to and including the iPhone 8 infringed the patent. However, the judge in Mannheim, Germany, dismissed the claim in a verbal ruling on Tuesday.
The ruling was not well received by Qualcomm. The chipmaker’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Don Rosenberg said: “Apple has a history of infringing our patent. While we disagree with the Mannheim court’s decision and will appeal, we will continue to enforce our (intellectual property) rights against Apple worldwide.”
Long-running Dispute Continues
The ruling in Germany is the latest in a long-running battle between the two firms. In December 2018 a court in China banned the sale of certain models of iPhones after a patent case brought by Qualcomm. Apple then pushed updates which it said dealt with the issue. However, this move was also rejected by Qualcomm. Prior to that, the company’s CEO, Steve Mollenkopf , had said that the dispute was close to being settled.
Apple also revealed that it wanted to use Qualcomm modems in the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. However, Qualcomm refused to sell the items to Apple after Apple sued them over its licensing practices. “In the end, they would not support us or sell us chips,” Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams told the US Federal Trade Commission on Monday ( via The Verge).