Sameed Khan·

Apple CEO Tim Cook To Be Deposed June 27 In Qualcomm Lawsuit

Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to be deposed on June 27 in a Qualcomm lawsuit against the Cupertino outfit. Cook has been called to testify in the ongoing legal battle between Apple and its modem supplier, after the latter accused the iPhone maker of spurring regulators into conducting investigations against it.

Apple had previously filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm over charging unfair royalties on the sale of each iPhone. Shortly thereafter, the United States Federal Trade Commission accused Qualcomm of “onerous and anticompetitive supply and licensing terms on cell phone manufacturers,” essentially abusing its sway in the market and portfolio of patents to remain the chief LTE chip supplier for smartphone companies.

What followed was a back and forth of legal actions between the two companies, starting with Qualcomm countersuing Apple for infringing on its patents and defaulting on licensing fees, subsequently calling for a ban to be placed on iPhone imports to the U.S. as well as on exports of the product from China. With big names like Microsoft, Google, and even Samsung taking Apple’s side in the spat, further pressure was mounted on Qualcomm as the EU Commission found it guilty of bribing Apple to continue using its chips, fining the company $1.2 billion, while no action was proposed against Apple for the unethical business practice of accepting bribes.

All this time, Apple had seemingly been preparing an alternative modem supplier in Intel and MediaTek, and current proceedings suggest it may very soon do away with all reliance on its legal rival.

If and when Apple cuts its ties with Qualcomm, the latter stands to lose more than just its iPhone revenue. Whatever supplier replaces Qualcomm as Apple’s first choice is bound to present Android manufacturers out of their own potentially unpleasant dealings with the chip maker.

(Source: Mark Gurman [Twitter])

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