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Nearly thirty million consumers in the United Kingdom who acquired an Apple and/or Samsung Electronics mobile phone from 2015 to 2024 may be eligible to about seventeen pounds each in the event that a consumer watchdog prevails in its legal action against the American technology firm Qualcomm Inc..

Legal Action Begins On Monday

The advocacy organization is bringing the tech giant to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital starting Monday.

The trial between the consumer group and the chipmaker is expected to run for over a month.

The body is alleging the chip company of anti-competitive practices.

The group asserts that the corporation pressured Apple and Samsung to pay high fees and patent charges for essential mobile hardware, which then raised the expense of those devices for users.

Key Points the Legal Action Will Determine

The legal proceedings commencing now will examine whether Qualcomm held market power and, if so, whether it exploited a powerful stance.

If the consumer group is victorious, there will be a second stage aiming to obtain £480m from the tech firm, to be distributed among an approximate twenty-nine million UK smartphone users impacted.

The body is claiming compensation for all impacted Apple and Samsung Electronics mobile phones bought between 1 October 2015 and 9 January 2024.

The group states this would likely calculate at about seventeen pounds each.

Earlier Allegations and Qualcomm's Position

The chipmaker has in the past claimed the claim has "no foundation".

A similar claim against Qualcomm is ongoing in the Canadian courts, and the corporation has also previously been penalized by the EU for anti-competition breaches.

The US regulator in the United States took legal action against the firm for anti-competitive behavior in the way it sold rights to its technology during the year 2017, but had its case dismissed in the year 2020.

Importance of the Case

The CEO of the consumer group stated: "This trial is a huge moment. It illustrates how the power of buyers - supported by our organization - can be used to hold the major firms to answer if they abuse their leading role."

The firm is one of the largest global suppliers of handset semiconductors and has been subject to allegations about unfair practices previously.

• Affected smartphones include Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics models acquired between the end of 2015 and 2024.
• The overall compensation demanded is £480 million.
• Per-person compensation is projected to be approximately £17.
• The case is being held at the CAT in London.