Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Customers May Be Due for a Share of a 480 million pound Payment in the United Kingdom
Nearly thirty million individuals in the United Kingdom who bought an Apple or Samsung smartphone between 2015 and 2024 might be able to about 17 pounds per claimant in the event that a buyer campaign group is successful in its case against the US technology firm Qualcomm.
Trial Begins This Week
The campaign is taking the technology corporation to the CAT in the UK capital now.
The case between the advocacy organization and the chipmaker is expected to last over a month.
The body is accusing the semiconductor firm of restrictive behavior.
It claims that the firm compelled Apple Inc. & Samsung to pay high fees and royalty payments for essential handset components, which then increased the price of those mobile phones for consumers.
The Details the Trial Will Decide
The legal proceedings beginning this week will examine whether the chipmaker had dominance and, if proven, whether it exploited a leading role.
Should the advocacy organization is victorious, there will be a follow-up phase seeking £480 million from Qualcomm, to be distributed among an projected twenty-nine million British smartphone users impacted.
The body is claiming compensation for all affected Apple & Samsung mobile phones acquired between October 1, 2015 and early January 2024.
The group estimates this would probably calculate at around £17 each.
Previous Legal Challenges and Qualcomm's Position
The chipmaker has in the past said the case has "no basis".
A parallel case against the tech giant is ongoing in the Canadian courts, and the corporation has also previously been fined by the European Union for antitrust violations.
The Federal Trade Commission in the America filed a case against the company for restrictive tactics in the way it authorized use of its technology in 2017, but had its case thrown out in the year 2020.
Impact of the Trial
The CEO of the organization commented: "This trial is a major milestone. It demonstrates how the power of consumers - supported by our organization - can be used to require the largest corporations to answer should they misuse their dominant position."
The firm is one of the leading manufacturers of smartphone chips and has been subject to accusations about anti-competitive behaviour previously.
- Eligible smartphones include Apple & Samsung Electronics models bought between October 2015 and 2024.
- The total payout being sought is £480m.
- Each payout is estimated to be about seventeen pounds.
- The case is being held at the specialist court in London.
