After China’s iPhone injunction, Qualcomm has recently secured another sales ban, this one in Germany, and now the chip maker has put aside €1.34 billion, or approximately $1.5 billion, in security bonds which are required to enforce German ruling.
Here’s Qualcomm’s statement on the matter:
Qualcomm Incorporated today announced that it has posted security bonds totaling €1.34 billion (Euros). The bonds are required for Qualcomm to be able to enforce the remedies ordered by the Court on December 20, 2018, after the Court found that Apple is infringing Qualcomm’s patented power savings technology used in smartphones.
Apple was ordered to cease the sale, offer for sale and importation for sale of all infringing iPhones in Germany. The Court also ordered Apple to recall infringing iPhones from third party resellers in Germany.
While Apple insists that it has managed to successfully work around Qualcomm’s software-focused patents that cover resizing and reformatting wallpaper photos and app switching with simple software changes in iOS 12.1.2, Qualcomm has characterized the iPhone maker’s move as an attempt to “flout the legal system by violating the injunctions.”
Despite the injunction, all iPhone models continue to be sold in China.
In Germany, however, Apple no longer sells iPhone models that use Intel’s modem chips. Qualcomm says the Intel modem violates its patent which covers envelope tracking, a feature that helps your iPhone save battery power when sending and receiving cellular signals.
As a result, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models are no longer found in the fifteen retail stores that the Cupertino firm operates in Germany. The latest iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR smartphones continue to be available to purchase in the country.
Germany’s sales ban covers only first-party stores: German wireless carriers, as well as third-party retailers, continue to offer all iPhone models. That being said, now that Qualcomm has posted the security bonds which are necessary to enforce the ruling, the chip maker will almost certainly ask the courts to extend the ban to all resellers and retailers.
The bad news keeps piling up for Apple, don’t you think so?