Apple and Samsung Electronics Customers Might Be Due for a Piece of a £480 million Payment in the United Kingdom

Approximately thirty million consumers in the Britain who purchased an Apple Inc. and/or Samsung smartphone between 2015 to 2024 could be eligible to about seventeen pounds per person if a customer advocacy organization wins in its legal action against the American technology firm Qualcomm Inc..

Trial Commences This Week

The campaign is bringing the firm to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital starting Monday.

The legal proceedings involving the consumer group and Qualcomm is anticipated to last five weeks.

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

The allegation is that the firm compelled Apple Inc. and Samsung to pay excessive costs and royalty payments for critical handset components, which then raised the cost of those devices for buyers.

Key Points the Legal Action Will Determine

The trial commencing on Monday will focus on whether Qualcomm held dominance and, if proven, whether it abused a powerful stance.

Should the advocacy organization is successful in its claim, there will be a second stage seeking £480 million from Qualcomm, to be allocated to an approximate twenty-nine million British phone owners involved.

The organization is seeking damages for all affected Apple Inc. and Samsung mobile phones acquired between 1 October 2015 and 9 January 2024.

The organization estimates this would almost certainly calculate at around 17 pounds per person.

Previous Allegations and The Firm's Statement

Qualcomm has earlier claimed the case has "no foundation".

A parallel legal action against the tech giant is in progress in Canada, and the company has also earlier been fined by the European Union for anti-competition practices.

The US regulator in the US filed a case against the corporation for restrictive tactics in the way it sold rights to its technology back in the year 2017, but had its claim rejected in the year 2020.

Importance of the Legal Action

The chief executive of the organization stated: "This case is a significant event. It shows how the influence of consumers - supported by our organization - can be used to hold the major firms to account should they exploit their market power."

The firm is one of the largest global producers of mobile processors and has been subject to claims about restrictive conduct before.

• Eligible handsets include Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics products purchased between 2015 and January 2024.
• The overall compensation requested is £480 million.
• Per-person compensation is projected to be about seventeen pounds.
• The case is taking place at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital.