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Approximately 30 million consumers in the UK who purchased an Apple Inc. and/or Samsung mobile phone between the year 2015 and 2024 may be entitled to approximately 17 pounds per claimant should a customer advocacy organization prevails in its case against the US technology firm Qualcomm.

Court Case Commences On Monday

The advocacy organization is taking the firm to the specialized court in the UK capital now.

The trial involving the advocacy organization and the chipmaker is expected to continue for around 35 days.

The organization is alleging the tech firm of anti-competitive practices.

The group asserts that the corporation compelled Apple and Samsung Electronics to pay excessive costs and licensing fees for critical mobile hardware, which then raised the cost of those smartphones for consumers.

The Details the Trial Will Decide

The legal proceedings starting on Monday will examine whether Qualcomm possessed market power and, if so, whether it exploited a powerful stance.

In the event that the watchdog is successful, there will be a follow-up phase seeking £480 million from Qualcomm, to be allocated to an approximate twenty-nine million British phone owners affected.

The organization is seeking damages for all impacted Apple and Samsung handsets acquired between 1 October 2015 and early January 2024.

The group estimates this would probably work out at around 17 pounds per person.

Previous Cases and Qualcomm's Statement

The company has in the past stated the claim has "no basis".

A comparable legal action against the tech giant is in progress in the Canadian courts, and the corporation has also earlier been fined by the EU for antitrust breaches.

The FTC in the US filed a case against the company for unfair practices in the way it licensed its patents during 2017, but had its case dismissed in 2020.

Significance of the Trial

The chief executive of the watchdog stated: "This trial is a huge moment. It shows how the power of buyers - represented by us - can be used to hold the major firms to account when they exploit their dominant position."

The firm is one of the world's biggest producers of handset semiconductors and has been subject to claims about anti-competitive behaviour previously.

• Affected handsets include Apple and Samsung Electronics phones purchased between 2015 and the start of 2024.
• The claimed amount requested is 480 million pounds.
• Per-person compensation is expected to be about £17.
• The trial is proceeding at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London.