Qualcomm has filed three new patent infringment claims against Apple in US District Court, bringing the total to 16. That doesn’t include a dispute Qualcomm is filing with the US International Trade Commission, which seeks a ban on importing some iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus models.
ZDNet reports that the patents in question include power-management chips and camera autofocus systems, two areas where Apple is reportedly investing heavily in the chip-design process.
“Apple is the quintessential example of a company engaging in patent hold-out, and has repeatedly pursued a patent hold-out strategy using its enormous financial resources to harm innovators of technologies it uses,” Qualcomm said in a legal filing.
The dispute between Apple and Qualcomm began earlier this year, when Apple objected to the royalties Qualcomm charges for the use of its patents in mobile devices. Apple claims that Qualcomm has abused its patent holdings and refuses to license them in a fair way. Apple stopped paying Qualcomm for patent royalties and instructed its manufacturing partners to do the same.
Since then, the legal battle between both companies has devolved beyond the original issue. Both Qualcomm and Apple have filed disputes claiming that each others’ patents are being infringed upon.
