An interesting development took place in the fine imposed in the Apple and Qualcomm case. According to the new decision taken by the European Union, Qualcomm’s 1 billion euro fine was cancelled. The company, which agreed with Apple and paid Apple to use Qualcomm’s LTE modems in its devices, no longer has to pay the penalty.
$1 billion fine in Apple-Qualcomm lawsuit revoked
The European Commission accused Qualcomm of holding a monopoly against rival companies like Intel from 2011 to 2016. An investigation was launched in 2015 into allegations that it paid Apple billions of dollars to not use chips from different brands. The chip giant was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of 997 million euros.
The European Commission, which accused Qualcomm of abusing its dominant position and fined it in 2018, seems to have finally reversed its decision. As a result of the objections made by Qualcomm for four years, it was reported that the 997 million euro decision was annulled.
The court, which canceled the penalty, stated that there was no other company that met Apple’s demands at that time. The court did not agree with the claims that Qualcomm and Apple’s agreement in 2011 and 2016 would end competition in the LTE market.
According to the statement of Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, no other company was strong enough to challenge Qualcomm on LTE. It would also cost much more for Apple to choose another supplier.
From the commission’s decision, it appears that Apple has no technical alternative to Qualcomm’s LTE chipsets for the majority of its needs during the period in question. This meant that no competitor, no matter how good their products, could effectively challenge Qualcomm in this market.
In addition, this annulment revealed the disconnect between the European Commission and the European Court of Justice. In the statement made by the commission, it was stated that meetings and telephone conferences with third parties were not held during the trial.
What do you think about the Apple and Qualcomm case? Don’t forget to share your views with us in the comments!
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