Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has
increasingly become bellicose, going by the recent lawsuits filed by the company against multiple parties.
Apple Vs. Qualcomm
As recently as last Friday, the company filed a lawsuit
in the San Diego federal court against QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM), alleging that the latter unfairly charges it royalties, at least five times
more than other cellular patent licensors combined and engaging in monopolistic trade practices.
Apple also stated that Qualcomm withheld $1 billion in rebates for Apple cooperating with the South Korean Federal Trade
Commission. The Korean antitrust agency has fined Qualcomm $850 million for violating antitrust laws related to its licensing
business.
Refuting charges by Apple, Qualcomm said Apple's claims are baseless
and that it has in intentionally mischaracterized its agreements and negotiations, as well as the enormity and value of its
technology.
Apple Vs. Nokia
In December 2016, Apple filed an anti-trust lawsuit against third-party companies called patent assertion entities, or PAEs,
acting on behalf of Nokia Corp (ADR) (NYSE: NOK). Stating that Nokia has agreements with it to license its patents for fair and
reasonable terms, Apple noted that Nokia is transferring the patents to PAEs to charge higher amounts. In retaliation, Nokia sued
Apple directly in Europe and the United States on the grounds that the latter is still infringing its patents after settling a
previous patent infringement lawsuit in 2011.
Apple Vs. Samsung
Apple has a long-standing litigation with Samsung, which began in 2011, when Apple sued Samsung for copying
design features of it devices. Apple has received favorable verdict from two lower courts, with the final ruling now pending before
the Supreme Court. Apple has sought $400 million dollars as settlement, with the amount representing profits from Samsung's
smartphones.
Apple Vs. Mobile Star
Last year, in October Apple filed a lawsuit against Mobile
Star LLC, which was found to be selling counterfeit W USB Power Adapters and Lightning to USB cables on Amazon.com,
Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Groupon
Inc (NASDAQ: GRPN), although these were listed as
genuine Apple products. As damages, Apple was seeking up to $150,000 for each registered copyright infringed, in addition to
damages of up to $2 million per trademark infringed. The case is pending before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of California.
The litigation with Qualcomm, according to Credit Suisse, may not mean much for Apple. The firm noted that the $1 billion Apple
is suing Qualcomm for, makes up about just 1 percent of its gross profit.
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