Latest Qualcomm and Apple clash has Qualcomm accusing Apple of sharing technology with Intel

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Once upon a time, the bond between Apple and Qualcomm seemed as strong as ever. But like every good drama, the honeymoon period had to end at some point. Now, we’re in full swing with divorce proceedings and both Qualcomm and Apple are going for the jugular. If you don’t know by now, these two companies had a falling out which began when Apple accused the chipmaker of abusing its market position.

The back and forth through the court system has been going on for some time. But now, the latest blow is coming from Qualcomm. This time the company is accusing Apple of sharing the chipmaker’s technology with rival Intel. This year’s iPhone lineup is sporting all Intel chips which Apple claims to be much faster than previous chips in their iPhone line.

Qualcomm
Qualcomm makes chips for not only Apple but many other smartphone makers.

In the new court filing, Qualcomm said Apple engineers supplied Intel staff with Qualcomm’s confidential source code with the aim of improving the performance of Intel chips, despite a contract intended to restrict access to the technology.

Qualcomm alleged the move was part of an “intricate plan” developed by Apple over several years, with the aim of cutting costs and increasing its leverage over Qualcomm.

The breach has caused damages “including, but not limited to lost profits”, while “unjustly” enriching Apple, the filing says.

Qualcomm supplies “us with a single connectivity component, but for years have been demanding a percentage of the total cost of our products – effectively taxing Apple’s innovation”, Apple said then.

“We believe deeply in the value of intellectual property but we shouldn’t have to pay them for technology breakthroughs they have nothing to do with. We’ve always been willing to pay a fair rate for standard technology used in our products and since they’ve refused to negotiate reasonable terms we’re asking the courts for help,” Apple added.

Qualcomm has also accused Apple of violating several of its patents. Intel had no comment on this story. It will be interesting to see how makes the next move and how this all shakes out.

What do you think of this battle between two tech giants? Let us know in the comments below or on GooglePlus, Twitter, or Facebook.

[button link=”https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45643844″ icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: BBC[/button]
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