Overview
- Which? applied to withdraw its case at the Competition Appeal Tribunal after an agreement under which Qualcomm will make no payment to the claimant class, pending tribunal approval.
- The collective action covered about 29 million UK purchasers of Apple and Samsung smartphones since 2015 and had sought up to £480 million in damages.
- Which? said it concluded, based on the trial evidence, that Qualcomm’s conduct did not infringe competition law, inflate royalties, or raise prices paid by consumers.
- The case proceeded to a trial last year, but the tribunal had not issued a ruling, so the withdrawal ends the litigation without a UK judgment on the underlying legal issues.
- Qualcomm said the development is consistent with U.S. court decisions holding that its standard‑essential patent licensing practices are lawful and do not harm competition.