Apple legal fight with Qualcomm spreads to China

San Francisco : Apple on Wednesday took its legal war with Qualcomm to China, filing lawsuits there accusing the chip-making giant of illegally wielding monopoly power.

Apple confirmed the suits and referred AFP to comments it released when it filed an antitrust suit against Qualcomm in the United States last week.

"For many years, Qualcomm has unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with," California-based Apple said in the statement.

"Qualcomm built its business on older, legacy, standards but reinforces its dominance through exclusionary tactics and excessive royalties."

Qualcomm, also based in California, told AFP that it had not seen the legal complaints but that a press release from a Beijing court said one of the filings accused the company of violating China's anti-monopoly law. The other asked for a determination regarding terms of a patent license agreement, the company said.

"These filings by Apple's Chinese subsidiary are just part of Apple's efforts to find ways to pay less for Qualcomm's technology," Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said in a statement.

"Qualcomm is prepared to defend its business model anywhere in the world."

Apple on Wednesday took its legal war with Qualcomm to China, filing lawsuits there accusing the chip-making giant of illegally wielding monopoly power.

Apple confirmed the suits and referred AFP to comments it released when it filed an antitrust suit against Qualcomm in the United States last week.

"For many years, Qualcomm has unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with," California-based Apple said in the statement.

"Qualcomm built its business on older, legacy, standards but reinforces its dominance through exclusionary tactics and excessive royalties."

Qualcomm, also based in California, told AFP that it had not seen the legal complaints but that a press release from a Beijing court said one of the filings accused the company of violating China's anti-monopoly law. The other asked for a determination regarding terms of a patent license agreement, the company said.

"These filings by Apple's Chinese subsidiary are just part of Apple's efforts to find ways to pay less for Qualcomm's technology," Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said in a statement.

"Qualcomm is prepared to defend its business model anywhere in the world."