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In a press release posted yesterday, Intel called Qualcomm a patent troll in all but name. The chip giant said that Qualcomm's previous lawsuits have been "found unlawful" all over the world, yet the company "continues to try to achieve the same results through a campaign of patent lawsuits." Intel has spoken out against Qualcomm before, and as the press release points out, they aren't the only company in Qualcomm's legal crosshairs. Apple has been fighting their own battle against Qualcomm in multiple countries, and they recently lost a case in China. Whether the allegations are true or not, there's a certain irony to Intel's accusations, as Intel has their own history of "aggressive and often questionable legal tactics to stifle competition."
Qualcomm's goal is not to vindicate its intellectual property rights, but rather to drive competition out of the market for premium modem chips, and to defend a business model that ultimately harms consumers. As we've noted before, in the last several years, Qualcomm has been fined nearly a billion dollars in China, $850 million in Korea, $1.2 billion by the European Commission and $773 million in Taiwan (later reduced in a settlement) for anti-competitive practices. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission continues to pursue claims against Qualcomm in federal court for alleged violation of U.S. antitrust law.
Qualcomm's goal is not to vindicate its intellectual property rights, but rather to drive competition out of the market for premium modem chips, and to defend a business model that ultimately harms consumers. As we've noted before, in the last several years, Qualcomm has been fined nearly a billion dollars in China, $850 million in Korea, $1.2 billion by the European Commission and $773 million in Taiwan (later reduced in a settlement) for anti-competitive practices. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission continues to pursue claims against Qualcomm in federal court for alleged violation of U.S. antitrust law.