Apple
has filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm in China seeking 1bn yuan (£115m) in
damages, claiming the chip maker has abused its market position.
Apple
has also filed a second case alleging Qualcomm had broken the terms of a deal
covering how Apple could use technologies it had licensed.
Qualcomm
said it was ready to defend its business practices in court.
The
lawsuits come soon after US regulators sued Qualcomm, alleging that the firm
was guilty of market abuse.
In
its legal papers, Apple said Qualcomm was using its dominant position as a
supplier of communication chips for mobile phones to squeeze more cash from
firms that use its technologies.
In
the second legal case, Apple said that Qualcomm had denied it access to chip
technologies it was entitled to under the terms of an agreed licensing deal.
In a
statement, Qualcomm said it had not yet seen all the details of the two cases.
"These
filings by Apple's Chinese subsidiary are just part of Apple's efforts to find
ways to pay less for Qualcomm's technology," said Don Rosenberg, head
lawyer for Qualcomm.
He
added that Apple was offered terms and conditions that were drawn up in 2015
following a ruling by Chinese trade regulators that dictated how Qualcomm
should deal with companies keen to use its modem chips.
More
than 100 Chinese firms signed up to these terms and conditions, he said, adding
that Apple "refused to even consider them".
"Qualcomm
is prepared to defend its business model anywhere in the world," said Mr
Rosenberg.
Legal
battles
Last
week, the US Federal Trade Commission sued Qualcomm claiming it had abused its
dominance in modem chips for mobile phones. The FTC said Qualcomm's use of low
licensing fees was helping it to enforce its monopoly.
In
response, Qualcomm said the FTC complaint was based on a "flawed legal
theory" and "significant misconceptions" about the way the
mobile industry worked.
Soon
after the FTC filed its complaint, Apple followed up with its own legal action
seeking $1bn (£793m) in rebates and accusing Qualcomm of overcharging it for
chips.
Qualcomm
said it planned to fight both legal cases.
The
chip-maker has been hit with legal challenges and regulatory action around the
world over the last few years.
In
December 2016, South Korean regulators fined it 1.03trn won (£698m) for
breaking competition laws.
In
2015, it paid a $975m (£775m) fine in China following an anti-trust probe. The
European Commission has also accused it of anti-competitive practices.
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