Apple and Samsung Customers May Be Due for a Piece of a £480 million Payout in the UK
Nearly thirty million individuals in the United Kingdom who bought an Apple and/or Samsung Electronics mobile phone from the year 2015 to the year 2024 may be entitled to about £17 each if a buyer watchdog is successful in its lawsuit against the American tech giant Qualcomm.
Legal Action Begins Today
The consumer group is escalating the firm to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London this week.
The trial between the consumer group and the chipmaker is projected to run for over a month.
The body is claiming the semiconductor firm of restrictive behavior.
The allegation is that the firm forced Apple Inc. & Samsung to pay inflated prices and royalty payments for necessary handset components, which then increased the expense of those smartphones for buyers.
Key Points the Trial Will Determine
The legal proceedings commencing this week will focus on whether the chipmaker held market power and, should that be the case, whether it abused a leading role.
In the event that the advocacy organization is successful in its claim, there will be a subsequent step requesting £480m from Qualcomm, to be distributed among an projected 29 million UK phone owners affected.
The consumer group is claiming compensation for all eligible Apple and Samsung handsets bought between October 1, 2015 and January 9, 2024.
The organization estimates this would likely calculate at about £17 per person.
Previous Cases and Qualcomm's Position
Qualcomm has in the past claimed the legal action has "no foundation".
A parallel legal action against Qualcomm 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 America sued the corporation for anti-competitive behavior in the way it authorized use of its technology back in the year 2017, but had its claim dismissed in 2020.
Impact of the Trial
The chief executive of the watchdog commented: "This trial is a significant event. It shows how the influence of consumers - backed by our organization - can be used to hold the major firms to answer when they misuse their market power."
The firm is one of the world's biggest suppliers of mobile processors and has been subject to allegations about unfair practices before.
- Eligible smartphones include Apple Inc. and Samsung products acquired between the end of 2015 and the start of 2024.
- The total payout demanded is £480 million.
- Individual payment is projected to be approximately £17.
- The trial is taking place at the specialist court in London.
