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Close to thirty million individuals in the United Kingdom who purchased an Apple Inc. and/or Samsung mobile phone from the year 2015 and 2024 could be able to about £17 each if a customer advocacy organization is successful in its lawsuit against the American technology firm Qualcomm Inc..

Legal Action Commences On Monday

The consumer group is bringing the technology corporation to the CAT in London this week.

The trial between the watchdog and Qualcomm is expected to run for over a month.

The body is accusing the chip company of anti-competitive practices.

It claims that the company pressured Apple & Samsung Electronics to pay excessive costs and patent charges for critical phone parts, which then pushed up the price of those mobile phones for buyers.

What the Legal Action Will Decide

The case starting this week will examine whether Qualcomm held dominance and, if so, whether it exploited a dominant position.

If the watchdog is victorious, there will be a subsequent step aiming to obtain £480m from the tech firm, to be allocated to an projected 29 million UK phone owners affected.

The consumer group is seeking damages for all eligible Apple Inc. and Samsung mobile phones bought between October 1, 2015 and early January 2024.

The organization estimates this would almost certainly calculate at around seventeen pounds per person.

Previous Cases and Qualcomm's Response

The company has previously said the claim has "no basis".

A similar case against Qualcomm is in progress in the Canadian courts, and the corporation has also previously been penalized by the European Union for antitrust violations.

The Federal Trade Commission in the America filed a case against the firm for anti-competitive behavior in the way it sold rights to its patents back in 2017, but had its case rejected in 2020.

Significance of the Legal Action

The head of the watchdog remarked: "This case is a huge moment. It shows how the power of consumers - supported by our organization - can be used to hold the biggest companies to account if they exploit their market power."

The firm is one of the world's biggest producers of smartphone chips and has been subject to claims about unfair practices previously.

• Qualifying devices include Apple and Samsung Electronics products purchased between the end of 2015 and the start of 2024.
• The claimed amount being sought is £480 million.
• Individual payment is expected to be approximately 17 pounds.
• The case is proceeding at the specialist court in the UK capital.