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Nearly 30 million consumers in the United Kingdom who bought an Apple or Samsung mobile phone between 2015 and 2024 may be eligible to approximately 17 pounds per claimant if a customer campaign group wins in its case against the American corporation Qualcomm Inc..

Legal Action Starts This Week

The campaign is bringing the firm to the CAT in London this week.

The trial involving the advocacy organization and the chipmaker is projected to last over a month.

The organization is claiming the tech firm of unfair competition.

The group asserts that the corporation forced Apple & Samsung Electronics to pay high fees and patent charges for critical mobile hardware, which then increased the cost of those smartphones for consumers.

What the Case Will Examine

The trial beginning this week will look into whether Qualcomm possessed dominance and, if proven, whether it misused a dominant position.

If the advocacy organization is successful in its claim, there will be a second stage aiming to obtain 480 million pounds from Qualcomm, to be distributed among an estimated twenty-nine million UK consumers affected.

The consumer group is seeking damages for all eligible Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics smartphones purchased between October 1, 2015 and early January 2024.

The organization states this would likely calculate at approximately seventeen pounds per person.

Previous Allegations and Qualcomm's Position

The company has previously claimed the case has "no basis".

A comparable claim against the tech giant is in progress in Canada, and the corporation has also previously been sanctioned by the EU for anti-competition practices.

The FTC in the America filed a case against the company for unfair practices in the way it licensed its technology in the year 2017, but had its legal action thrown out in the year 2020.

Importance of the Legal Action

The chief executive of the consumer group commented: "This trial is a major milestone. It illustrates how the collective strength of buyers - backed by the group - can be used to hold the major firms to account when they abuse their dominant position."

The firm is one of the world's biggest manufacturers of smartphone chips and has faced accusations about unfair practices before.

• Eligible devices include Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics phones purchased between 2015 and 2024.
• The overall compensation requested is £480 million.
• Per-person compensation is projected to be approximately 17 pounds.
• The legal action is being held at the specialist court in the UK capital.