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Approximately 30 million consumers in the UK who bought an Apple Inc. and/or Samsung smartphone between 2015 to 2024 might be eligible to approximately £17 per person if a consumer advocacy organization prevails in its case against the American corporation Qualcomm Inc..

Trial Begins Today

The campaign is taking the technology corporation to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital this week.

The trial between the advocacy organization and the chipmaker is expected to run for around 35 days.

The organization is accusing the tech firm of anti-competitive practices.

It claims that the corporation forced Apple and Samsung Electronics to pay excessive costs and patent charges for essential handset components, which then pushed up the expense of those devices for buyers.

The Details the Legal Action Will Decide

The case starting now will look into whether Qualcomm possessed dominance and, if so, whether it exploited a leading role.

Should the consumer group is victorious, there will be a subsequent step requesting 480 million pounds from Qualcomm, to be allocated to an projected 29 million British smartphone users involved.

The body is claiming compensation for all affected Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics smartphones purchased between October 1, 2015 and 9 January 2024.

The group estimates this would probably amount at approximately £17 per individual.

Past Cases and The Firm's Response

The company has in the past claimed the claim has "little merit".

A comparable legal action against the tech giant is currently underway in Canada, and the corporation has also previously been fined by the European Union for anti-competition violations.

The Federal Trade Commission in the United States took legal action against the corporation for unfair practices in the way it authorized use of its technology in 2017, but had its legal action rejected in the year 2020.

Impact of the Legal Action

The head of the consumer group stated: "This legal action is a significant event. It shows how the power of buyers - supported by the group - can be used to make the biggest companies to answer should they abuse their dominant position."

The firm is one of the leading suppliers of mobile processors and has encountered accusations about restrictive conduct before.

• Qualifying smartphones include Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics phones bought between 2015 and January 2024.
• The total payout being sought is £480m.
• Per-person compensation is estimated to be about £17.
• The legal action is taking place at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital.