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Approximately 30 million consumers in the Britain who acquired an Apple Inc. or Samsung Electronics mobile phone from the year 2015 to the year 2024 could be entitled to approximately £17 each should a consumer campaign group is successful in its legal action against the US corporation Qualcomm Inc..

Court Case Starts This Week

The campaign is escalating the firm to the specialized court in London now.

The legal proceedings between the consumer group and Qualcomm is projected to last over a month.

The body is accusing the chip company of unfair competition.

The allegation is that the company compelled Apple & Samsung to pay inflated prices and royalty payments for necessary mobile hardware, which then increased the price of those devices for users.

Key Points the Legal Action Will Determine

The legal proceedings starting now will focus on whether the chipmaker held market power and, if proven, whether it exploited a leading role.

Should the consumer group is victorious, there will be a second stage aiming to obtain 480 million pounds from the tech firm, to be divided between an estimated 29 million UK phone owners involved.

The consumer group is claiming compensation for all impacted Apple & Samsung handsets acquired between the start of October 2015 and January 9, 2024.

The watchdog estimates this would almost certainly calculate at approximately seventeen pounds per person.

Previous Legal Challenges and Qualcomm's Response

Qualcomm has earlier said the legal action has "little merit".

A comparable legal action against the tech giant is currently underway in Canada, and the company has also previously been sanctioned by the European Union for antitrust breaches.

The US regulator in the United States sued the company for unfair practices in the way it sold rights to its technology during the year 2017, but had its case rejected in 2020.

Impact of the Legal Action

The head of the consumer group stated: "This case is a significant event. It shows how the collective strength of the public - represented by our organization - can be used to hold the major firms to be accountable if they misuse their leading role."

The firm is one of the largest global suppliers of handset semiconductors and has been subject to claims about unfair practices in the past.

• Qualifying smartphones include Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics phones acquired between 2015 and January 2024.
• The total payout demanded is £480 million.
• Per-person compensation is estimated to be approximately £17.
• The legal action is proceeding at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital.