The collaboration with chip manufacturer Qualcomm and Apple was terminated due to a patent war that started in early 2017.
Apple and Qualcomm are involved in several lawsuits around the world. Today, the Mannheim Regional Court dismissed a new lawsuit filed by Qualcomm. According to the lawsuit, iPhones do not infringe on a patent filed by the semiconductor manufacturer. Specifically, it concerns a circuit technology that Qualcomm has protected. The chip company then announced that it would appeal. Apple believes that Qualcomm is charging license fees that are far too high - the semiconductor manufacturer is abusing its market power - Apple repeatedly asserts. For this reason, another lawsuit is underway in California at the same time. The lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Qualcomm concerns the chip manufacturer's business model - and therefore its relationship with Apple itself.
iPhone sales stop in Germany
On December 20, 2018, the Munich Regional Court issued a ruling in favor of semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm against Apple.
According to the ruling, Apple is no longer allowed to sell or market the iPhone 7, iPhone 7+, iPhone 8, iPhone 8+ and iPhone X models in this country. The reason for this is the infringement of a patent whose technology optimizes the power consumption of the mobile phone chip. According to Qualcomm, Apple cannot change this with an iOS update. The ruling is not yet legally binding, but is provisionally enforceable.
https://www.apfelpatient.de/news/qualcomm-hat-gezahlt-iphone-verkaufsstop-in-deutschland-tritt-in-kraft-2985
