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Nearly thirty million individuals in the United Kingdom who bought an Apple Inc. or Samsung handset from 2015 to 2024 might be entitled to about 17 pounds each should a buyer watchdog wins in its legal action against the US tech giant Qualcomm Inc..

Trial Begins On Monday

The consumer group is taking the tech giant to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital now.

The case involving the consumer group and the chipmaker is anticipated to run for around 35 days.

The organization is alleging the chip company of unfair competition.

The allegation is that the company pressured Apple & Samsung to pay inflated prices and patent charges for necessary handset components, which then pushed up the expense of those smartphones for users.

The Details the Legal Action Will Decide

The trial starting on Monday will examine whether the chipmaker had control and, should that be the case, whether it misused a leading role.

In the event that the watchdog is successful, there will be a subsequent step requesting £480m from Qualcomm, to be distributed among an projected twenty-nine million British phone owners involved.

The body is pursuing restitution for all impacted Apple & Samsung handsets purchased between the start of October 2015 and 9 January 2024.

The watchdog estimates this would almost certainly amount at around 17 pounds each.

Earlier Legal Challenges and Qualcomm's Response

Qualcomm has in the past claimed the case has "no foundation".

A parallel case against the tech giant is in progress in Canada, and the firm has also in the past been fined by the EU for anti-competition practices.

The FTC in the US filed a case against the corporation for anti-competitive behavior in the way it sold rights to its innovations during the year 2017, but had its claim thrown out in 2020.

Impact of the Case

The chief executive of the organization commented: "This legal action is a major milestone. It illustrates how the influence of buyers - represented by us - can be used to hold the biggest companies to be accountable if they exploit their leading role."

Qualcomm is one of the largest global producers of mobile processors and has faced allegations about restrictive conduct previously.

• Qualifying devices include Apple & Samsung Electronics phones purchased between the end of 2015 and 2024.
• The claimed amount demanded is 480 million pounds.
• Each payout is expected to be approximately seventeen pounds.
• The legal action is proceeding at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital.