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Close to 30 million individuals in the Britain who bought an Apple and/or Samsung Electronics handset between 2015 to 2024 might be eligible to about seventeen pounds per person in the event that a customer watchdog wins in its lawsuit against the US corporation Qualcomm.

Legal Action Commences On Monday

The consumer group is bringing the firm to the CAT in London now.

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

The group is accusing the chip company of unfair competition.

The group asserts that the firm forced Apple and Samsung to pay inflated prices and patent charges for essential phone parts, which then raised the price of those devices for users.

What the Trial Will Examine

The legal proceedings commencing now will focus on whether the chipmaker held dominance and, if so, whether it exploited a dominant position.

If the watchdog is successful in its claim, there will be a second stage seeking £480m from the tech firm, to be allocated to an approximate twenty-nine million UK smartphone users involved.

The body is claiming compensation for all impacted Apple and Samsung Electronics mobile phones purchased between 1 October 2015 and January 9, 2024.

The organization states this would almost certainly work out at approximately 17 pounds per person.

Past Allegations and The Firm's Response

Qualcomm has earlier said the case has "little merit".

A parallel claim against the tech giant is in progress in Canada, and the company has also earlier been penalized by the European Union for anti-competitive breaches.

The Federal Trade Commission in the United States filed a case against the firm for anti-competitive behavior in the way it authorized use of its technology in 2017, but had its claim thrown out in the year 2020.

Impact of the Legal Action

The CEO of the watchdog commented: "This legal action is a huge moment. It illustrates how the collective strength of consumers - represented by the group - can be used to hold the major firms to answer should they exploit their market power."

The chipmaker is one of the largest global suppliers of mobile processors and has faced allegations about anti-competitive behaviour in the past.

• Qualifying smartphones include Apple & Samsung Electronics phones bought between the end of 2015 and 2024.
• The claimed amount demanded is £480m.
• Per-person compensation is projected to be approximately £17.
• The trial is taking place at the CAT in London.