When a Chinese Court sided with Qualcomm last week in a patent dispute they are having with Apple, I thought perhaps it was a decision at the direction of the Chinese government in retaliation US tariffs as a result of President Trump’s trade policies but today we hear German Courts are also deciding in favor of Qualcomm.
After losing a battle in China, Apple has now lost in another court in its ongoing feud with Qualcomm. The firm has now been found to be infringing on Qualcomm’s power-saving patents in a court in Munich. The patent revolves around Qualcomm’s ‘envelope tracking’ technology which was allegedly infringed by Qorvo, one of Apple’s chip suppliers. A permanent injunction has been issued, stopping Apple from selling any infringing iPhones in Germany. Cupertino has also been found liable for any monetary damages suffered by Qualcomm, the amount of which has yet to be offered.
“Two respected courts in two different jurisdictions just in the past two weeks have now confirmed the value of Qualcomm’s patents and declared Apple an infringer, ordering a ban on iPhones in the important markets of Germany and China,” said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel, Qualcomm Incorporated.
According to CNBC, Apple plans to appeal the judgement. It will continue to sell its newest iPhone X family of devices, but older phones like the iPhone & will no longer b sold in Apple’s own stores (but not carrier stores or third-party retailers) while the appeal process is ongoing.
Apple’s iPhone 7 and 8 are now banned from sale in Germany
Apple products being banned for sale in China and parts of Western Europe is a big deal. This news coupled with their unwillingness to release sales figures along with their financial reports from now on should really concern investors.
Also, remember that they will not be offering a 5G phone in 2019
Apple will skip 5G in 2019 report says
Apple already announced that they are dumping Intel processors in 2020.
Apple could dump Intel processors in 2020
By these and other actions, Apple has admitted that they are out of innovation and new ideas.