Apple Inc. and Samsung Users Might Be Eligible for a Portion of a £480m Payment in the United Kingdom

Close to thirty million consumers in the Britain who bought an Apple and/or Samsung smartphone from the year 2015 to the year 2024 might be entitled to around £17 per claimant in the event that a customer campaign group wins in its lawsuit against the American technology firm Qualcomm Inc..

Trial Begins Today

The advocacy organization is taking the firm to the CAT in the UK capital this week.

The case involving the consumer group and the chipmaker is anticipated to last over a month.

The group is alleging the semiconductor firm of restrictive behavior.

It claims that the firm forced Apple Inc. & Samsung to pay inflated prices and royalty payments for essential phone parts, which then increased the expense of those mobile phones for consumers.

Key Points the Case Will Examine

The legal proceedings beginning this week will examine whether the chipmaker held control and, if proven, whether it abused a dominant position.

Should the watchdog is successful, there will be a second stage seeking £480m from the tech firm, to be allocated to an approximate 29 million British smartphone users involved.

The body is pursuing restitution for all affected Apple & Samsung Electronics mobile phones purchased between 1 October 2015 and January 9, 2024.

The organization estimates this would probably calculate at around £17 per person.

Past Allegations and The Firm's Position

The chipmaker has in the past claimed the claim has "little merit".

A comparable case against the tech giant is in progress in the Canadian courts, and the company has also previously been fined by the EU for anti-competition breaches.

The FTC in the America sued the company for unfair practices in the way it authorized use of its patents in the year 2017, but had its claim dismissed in the year 2020.

Importance of the Legal Action

The head of the consumer group commented: "This trial is a huge moment. It shows how the power of buyers - represented by our organization - can be used to hold the largest corporations to answer if they misuse their market power."

Qualcomm is one of the leading suppliers of smartphone chips and has faced accusations about restrictive conduct previously.

• Qualifying handsets include Apple & Samsung Electronics phones bought between October 2015 and the start of 2024.
• The total payout requested is £480 million.
• Each compensation is projected to be approximately 17 pounds.
• The legal action is being held at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London.