Earlier today, a German court sitting in Mannheim, dismissed Qualcomm’s allegations that Apple Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Apple”) infringed its patents. The court ruled that the chips used in Apple’s smartphones did not infringe Qualcomm’s patents. This gives Apple a jab in its fight with Qualcomm. Recall that in December last year, Qualcomm won a lawsuit in the German District Court in Munich, allowing it to enforce a ban on the sale of older iPhones in Germany.
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For the ruling, Qualcomm said it would file an appeal. Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm, said today: “Apple has a history of infringement of our patents. We disagree with the decision of the Mannheim court and will appeal. In addition, we will also continue to implement our (Intellectual Property) rights to Apple on a global scale.”
According to the Munich District Court’s ruling, Apple’s 15 retail stores in Germany, as well as third-party retailers, have stopped selling the affected iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 phones. Apple has filed an appeal against the ruling. In addition to Germany, Qualcomm also announced on December 10 last year that the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court of China has issued a preliminary ban on Apple’s import and sale of iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X in the Chinese market.
