Apple Inc. & Samsung Customers Could Be Eligible for a Portion of a 480 million pound Payment in the Britain

Close to thirty million individuals in the Britain who bought an Apple Inc. or Samsung Electronics mobile phone between 2015 to 2024 may be entitled to about seventeen pounds each should a buyer advocacy organization prevails in its case against the US technology firm Qualcomm Inc..

Legal Action Begins Today

The advocacy organization is taking the technology corporation to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London this week.

The trial between the consumer group and Qualcomm is anticipated to continue for over a month.

The body is claiming the tech firm of anti-competitive practices.

The allegation is that the corporation forced Apple and Samsung to pay inflated prices and patent charges for critical handset components, which then raised the cost of those mobile phones for users.

The Details the Legal Action Will Decide

The legal proceedings commencing now will focus on whether Qualcomm possessed market power and, if proven, whether it exploited a leading role.

Should the advocacy organization is successful, there will be a follow-up phase seeking £480 million from the tech firm, to be allocated to an estimated twenty-nine million UK smartphone users involved.

The consumer group is pursuing restitution for all impacted Apple & Samsung smartphones purchased between October 1, 2015 and January 9, 2024.

The organization estimates this would almost certainly amount at about seventeen pounds per individual.

Previous Legal Challenges and Qualcomm's Response

Qualcomm has previously said the case has "little merit".

A similar legal action against the tech giant is currently underway in Canada, and the corporation has also earlier been penalized by the European Union for anti-competition violations.

The FTC in the US sued the company for anti-competitive behavior in the way it sold rights to its technology during 2017, but had its case thrown out in 2020.

Importance of the Trial

The CEO of the consumer group stated: "This case is a major milestone. It illustrates how the collective strength of consumers - supported by the group - can be used to make the major firms to answer if they exploit their market power."

Qualcomm is one of the largest global producers of handset semiconductors and has been subject to claims about unfair practices in the past.

• Affected devices include Apple Inc. and Samsung phones bought between the end of 2015 and January 2024.
• The total payout demanded is £480 million.
• Individual compensation is projected to be about £17.
• The trial is being held at the CAT in London.