Qualcomm is now going after Apple from a different angle as the legal battle between the two companies continues to heat up. Qualcomm is looking to have some iPhone X sales banned on the US in series of new filings. Three new lawsuits from Qualcomm allege that Apple is infringing on 16 of its patents with the iPhone 7, 8, and X, as well as their Plus models. Many of these patents cover technology that helps to improve battery life, but there are others that focus on additional technology.
Qualcomm in one case says that Apple is replying on its patented technology to create the iPhone’s Portrait Mode effect. The lawsuits are asking for unspecified payments from Apple. In addition, Qualcomm is seeking for Apple to stop using those technologies in their devices.
The company takes things a bit further in a new claim with the US International Trade Commission, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, where Qualcomm is asking to stop Apple’s iPhone X from being imported that have Intel’s modems in them. This would prevent the device from being sold on AT&T and T-Mobile. That is if Apple started to buy modems for those models from Qualcomm.
In addition to this, Qualcomm makes a point about the iPhone X’s multitasking interface and how it’s similar to the interface that webOS use to use. The company now owns patents covering that particular interface, as well as other technologies that were first developed at Palm. “All of these Palm inventions — owned by Qualcomm — have vastly improved the functionality of mobile devices and the user experience, and all of them are widely found in Apple products without license or permission,” Qualcomm writes in one of its lawsuits.
These filings were issued yesterday, shortly after Apple had filed its own patent infringement lawsuit against Qualcomm. In the suit, Apple says Qualcomm is similar to “a common patent troll.”
Legal battles between Qualcomm and Apple continues to heat up as the two companies face off. This all started at the beginning of 2017 after the Federal Trade Commission accused Qualcomm of anti-competitive behavior. Apple cam eout and filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm making similar accusations and continued with those claims as it attacked Qualcomm all over the globe. Qualcomm has been firing back at Apple since, and continues to.
