Professor Mark Patterson was quoted in a CNN Business article about the larger implications of the two-year long legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm, the company that produces crucial chips for the iPhone.
Qualcomm could be on the hook for as much as $27 billion in damages for charging Apple and its suppliers too much for licensing its patents that allow smartphones to place calls and connect to the internet. Meanwhile, Qualcomm is seeking over $7 billion in unpaid royalties, in addition to other damages totaling billions of dollars.
…“The implications here are not just for Apple and Qualcomm, but for Qualcomm’s licensing arrangements with other firms around the world, too,” said Mark Patterson, a law professor at Fordham University School of Law. “The tens of billions of dollars at issue for Apple and Qualcomm are actually only a piece of what this case affects.”
The case could potentially be significant for Qualcomm’s business prospects, according to Patterson. For example, it could result in rulings for Qualcomm’s licensing practices in general if it requires the company to limit the amount it can charge for licensing its patents.…The legal fight began in January 2017 when Apple (AAPL) sued Qualcomm (QCOM) for nearly $1 billion. Apple accused Qualcomm of charging “excessive royalties” and withholding payments in retaliation for Apple cooperating with a South Korean investigation into the chipmaker.