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Approximately 30 million individuals in the UK who bought an Apple or Samsung mobile phone between the year 2015 and 2024 might be entitled to approximately £17 per claimant in the event that a consumer campaign group is successful in its case against the American technology firm Qualcomm Inc..

Court Case Starts On Monday

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

The trial involving the consumer group and Qualcomm is projected to continue for five weeks.

The group is alleging the tech firm of restrictive behavior.

The group asserts that the corporation pressured Apple Inc. & Samsung to pay high fees and patent charges for essential phone parts, which then increased the expense of those devices for users.

The Details the Trial Will Examine

The legal proceedings commencing this week will focus on whether Qualcomm held market power and, if so, whether it abused a dominant position.

In the event that the consumer group is victorious, there will be a second stage aiming to obtain 480 million pounds from Qualcomm, to be divided between an projected 29 million UK consumers involved.

The body is claiming compensation for all eligible Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics mobile phones purchased between 1 October 2015 and January 9, 2024.

The organization says this would probably work out at approximately 17 pounds per individual.

Past Allegations and The Firm's Position

The chipmaker has previously stated the legal action has "no basis".

A parallel claim against Qualcomm is ongoing in Canada, and the corporation has also previously been fined by the European Union for anti-competition breaches.

The FTC in the America took legal action against the firm for restrictive tactics in the way it sold rights to its technology back in the year 2017, but had its claim rejected in the year 2020.

Significance of the Case

The head of the organization commented: "This trial is a huge moment. It illustrates how the influence of consumers - supported by us - can be used to make the biggest companies to be accountable should they misuse their dominant position."

The chipmaker is one of the largest global suppliers of mobile processors and has encountered claims about anti-competitive behaviour before.

• Eligible devices include Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics products bought between 2015 and the start of 2024.
• The claimed amount requested is £480m.
• Individual payment is expected to be around seventeen pounds.
• The case is being held at the specialist court in the UK capital.