Apple & Samsung Owners Could Be Due for a Portion of a £480m Payout in the United Kingdom
Nearly 30 million consumers in the United Kingdom who acquired an Apple and/or Samsung smartphone between 2015 and the year 2024 may be eligible to approximately 17 pounds per claimant in the event that a consumer watchdog is successful in its lawsuit against the American technology firm Qualcomm.
Court Case Starts This Week
The campaign is taking the tech giant to the CAT in London this week.
The trial between the advocacy organization and Qualcomm is projected to continue for around 35 days.
The body is alleging the chip company of anti-competitive practices.
It claims that the corporation compelled Apple Inc. & Samsung to pay excessive costs and royalty payments for essential phone parts, which then pushed up the cost of those smartphones for consumers.
Key Points the Trial Will Determine
The legal proceedings beginning on Monday will focus on whether the chipmaker possessed dominance and, should that be the case, whether it misused a powerful stance.
Should the advocacy organization is successful in its claim, there will be a second stage aiming to obtain 480 million pounds from Qualcomm, to be distributed among an projected twenty-nine million British consumers affected.
The body is seeking damages for all impacted Apple and Samsung Electronics mobile phones acquired between October 1, 2015 and 9 January 2024.
The group estimates this would probably calculate at approximately seventeen pounds per person.
Previous Legal Challenges and Qualcomm's Position
The company has earlier stated the legal action has "little merit".
A parallel claim against Qualcomm is in progress in Canada, and the corporation has also earlier been sanctioned by the European Union for anti-competitive breaches.
The Federal Trade Commission in the United States sued the firm for restrictive tactics in the way it authorized use of its innovations in the year 2017, but had its case rejected in 2020.
Impact of the Trial
The chief executive of the consumer group stated: "This legal action is a major milestone. It illustrates how the power of the public - represented by our organization - can be used to require the largest corporations to be accountable if they exploit their leading role."
The firm is one of the world's biggest suppliers of handset semiconductors and has encountered accusations about restrictive conduct before.
- Eligible smartphones include Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics models acquired between 2015 and 2024.
- The total payout requested is £480m.
- Individual payout is projected to be approximately £17.
- The legal action is taking place at the specialist court in London.
