Intel had a bit of a rough year, especially in the middle months. Now, according to court documents filed by the company recently, we know a bit more about how Intel’s executives feel about the whole thing.
Reuters has the report on Friday, stating that Intel filed a brief with the 9th United States Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes the comments from the company regarding Qualcomm and that company’s tactics within the market. Right now, Qualcomm is currently seeking to overturn a “sweeping antitrust decision” levied against it after it lost in a court battle against the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Some of Intel’s executives are testifying in that trial, and they believe that the decision against Qualcomm should stay. Intel published a blog post on the matter as well, where Intel’s general counsel, Steve R. Rodgers, said:
We invested billions, hired thousands, acquired two companies and built innovative world-class products that eventually made their way into Apple’s industry-leading iPhones, including the most recently released iPhone 11.
According to Intel’s statements in the case, the company believes it was Qualcomm’s tactics, especially in regards to patent licensing practices, that forced Intel out of the market entirely.
But when all was said and done, Intel could not overcome the artificial and insurmountable barriers to fair competition created by Qualcomm’s scheme and was forced to exit the market this year.
Intel did indeed leave the market, but only after Apple and Qualcomm worked out their own legal differences and signed a multi-year (and very expensive) partnership deal moving forward. That announcement happened in April, and in July Apple officially acquired a majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business for $1 billion.
It has all been very dramatic, and none of it very positive for Intel. It’s not surprising to see the company’s executives taking this stance on the matter.