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Approximately 30 million individuals in the United Kingdom who bought an Apple Inc. and/or Samsung Electronics handset between the year 2015 to the year 2024 might be able to approximately 17 pounds per person if a buyer watchdog prevails in its legal action against the American tech giant Qualcomm.

Court Case Begins Today

The campaign is escalating the technology corporation to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London this week.

The trial between the consumer group and the chipmaker is projected to run for over a month.

The body is accusing the chip company of restrictive behavior.

The group asserts that the corporation pressured Apple & Samsung Electronics to pay inflated prices and patent charges for essential mobile hardware, which then pushed up the price of those devices for consumers.

Key Points the Case Will Decide

The legal proceedings beginning on Monday will examine whether Qualcomm held dominance and, if so, whether it exploited a dominant position.

If the advocacy organization is victorious, there will be a follow-up phase seeking 480 million pounds from the tech firm, to be distributed among an projected twenty-nine million UK smartphone users involved.

The body is seeking damages for all eligible Apple & Samsung smartphones acquired between the start of October 2015 and 9 January 2024.

The watchdog estimates this would almost certainly amount at about seventeen pounds per person.

Previous Allegations and Qualcomm's Position

The company has in the past said the claim has "no foundation".

A comparable case against the tech giant is currently underway in the Canadian courts, and the company has also earlier been fined by the EU for anti-competition breaches.

The US regulator in the US filed a case against the company for unfair practices in the way it sold rights to its patents during the year 2017, but had its legal action dismissed in the year 2020.

Significance of the Trial

The CEO of the consumer group stated: "This trial is a huge moment. It demonstrates how the power of consumers - supported by the group - can be used to require the biggest companies to account if they abuse their leading role."

The chipmaker is one of the largest global producers of smartphone chips and has been subject to accusations about unfair practices before.

• Affected handsets include Apple & Samsung Electronics products acquired between the end of 2015 and January 2024.
• The overall compensation being sought is £480m.
• Each payout is expected to be about £17.
• The legal action is proceeding at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital.