Qualcomm Holds ‘High Ground’ in Patent Fight With Apple, CEO Says
Qualcomm holds the "high ground” in the patent fight with Apple, CEO Steve Mollenkopf said on a Wednesday earnings call. The chip company last week at the International Trade Commission alleged iPhones are imported into the U.S. in violation of…
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patents (see 1707120023). “Fundamentally, these issues are driven by commercial interests and contract negotiations and we will continue to work to reach resolutions as we have,” he said. The company has had “a strong relationship with Apple for many years," Mollenkopf said. “We intend to continue to provide them with our industry-leading products and technologies as we always have and do our best to remain a good supplier to Apple even while this dispute continues.” It typifies “a number of the ones we have resolved in the past and we expect to be able to do that again here,” President Derek Aberle said. Apple “has interfered with our license agreement with its contract manufacturers by instructing them not to pay the royalties they owe” for sales of Apple product, Aberle said. Qualcomm made “several offers to Apple to have an independent third-party ... set the royalty terms of a direct license,” he said. “Apple has refused those offers.” Apple representatives didn’t comment Thursday.