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Close to thirty million people in the United Kingdom who bought an Apple or Samsung mobile phone between the year 2015 and the year 2024 may be able to around £17 per person in the event that a buyer advocacy organization prevails in its case against the American technology firm Qualcomm.

Court Case Starts This Week

The consumer group is taking the tech giant to the CAT in the UK capital starting Monday.

The case between the watchdog and the chipmaker is anticipated to last five weeks.

The group is claiming the tech firm of anti-competitive practices.

The group asserts that the company pressured Apple and Samsung to pay excessive costs and licensing fees for critical phone parts, which then raised the price of those smartphones for consumers.

Key Points the Trial Will Determine

The trial starting now will examine whether the chipmaker had dominance and, should that be the case, whether it misused a powerful stance.

Should the advocacy organization is successful in its claim, there will be a second stage aiming to obtain £480 million from the tech firm, to be allocated to an projected twenty-nine million UK smartphone users involved.

The consumer group is seeking damages for all eligible Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics smartphones purchased between the start of October 2015 and January 9, 2024.

The organization says this would likely amount at approximately £17 each.

Previous Cases and Qualcomm's Statement

The chipmaker has in the past stated the claim has "little merit".

A similar legal action against Qualcomm is ongoing in Canada, and the company has also in the past been penalized by the European Union for anti-competition practices.

The Federal Trade Commission in the US filed a case against the company for restrictive tactics in the way it sold rights to its technology in the year 2017, but had its case dismissed in 2020.

Importance of the Case

The chief executive of the consumer group remarked: "This trial is a huge moment. It demonstrates how the influence of buyers - supported by us - can be used to hold the major firms to be accountable if they misuse their leading role."

Qualcomm is one of the world's biggest suppliers of mobile processors and has encountered claims about anti-competitive behaviour in the past.

• Affected handsets include Apple and Samsung products bought between October 2015 and the start of 2024.
• The claimed amount requested is £480m.
• Per-person payment is estimated to be around seventeen pounds.
• The legal action is taking place at the CAT in the UK capital.