Supreme Court rejects Apple’s plea for hearing in Qualcomm patent case

• Apple argues that Qualcomm might use its patents in a lawsuit again once the license expires

The US Supreme Court declined Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) bid for a hearing over two Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) patents (US Patent No. 7,844,037 and US Patent No. 8,683,362) that were part of lawsuits filed in 2017. The Court stated the reason for its decision as infringement by Apple’s iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.

In its appeal to the Supreme Court, Apple argued that Qualcomm might use the patents in a lawsuit again once the license expires in 2025 or in 2027 if it’s extended. The Department of Justice under the Biden administration submitted an amicus brief rejecting those arguments in May and asked the Supreme Court to deny Apple’s request.

Qualcomm sued Apple in San Diego federal court in 2017, arguing that its iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches infringed a variety of Qualcomm mobile-technology patents.

Apple challenged the validity of the two patents at issue at the Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

The litigation was settled in 2019. The companies signed an agreement worth billions of dollars that allowed Apple to continue using Qualcomm chips in iPhones, but the patent board case continued with the court eventually ruling in favor of Qualcomm.

Source - Supreme Court

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