Qualcomm says UK lawsuit over smartphone chip royalties will be withdrawn

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Reuters

Tue, February 17, 2026 at 8:47 PM GMT+9 1 min read

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LONDON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Qualcomm on Tuesday said a London lawsuit alleging it had abused its dominant position ‌to force Apple and Samsung to pay inflated ‌royalties will be withdrawn.

The British consumers’ association called Which? had brought the case ​on behalf of around 29 million people who bought iPhones or Samsung devices since 2015.

Which? had said consumers were entitled to up to 480 million pounds ($652.03 million) in compensation, with its ‌arguing at a ⁠trial last year that Qualcomm made Apple and Samsung pay inflated royalties even if its chips ⁠are not used in a device under a worldwide so-called no licence, no chips policy.

Qualcomm, however, said the lawsuit mischaracterised its ​long-standing requirement ​for manufacturers to obtain a ​licence for its standard ‌essential patents before buying chipsets.

Before the Competition Appeal Tribunal could rule following last year’s trial, Which? said in a statement that it would apply to withdraw the case having reached an agreement under which Qualcomm will make no payment to ‌the claimant class.

Which? said that it ​had concluded Qualcomm’s practices “did not infringe competition ​laws, did not result in ​inflated royalties, and did not lead to an ‌increase in prices consumers paid ​for their mobile phones”.

A ​Qualcomm spokesperson said: “This recognition by the class representative, following a trial on the merits, reaffirms what the courts ​in the United ‌States have repeatedly held: Qualcomm’s licensing practices are lawful ​and do not harm competition.”

($1 = 0.7362 pounds)

(Reporting by Sam ​Tobin; editing by Catarina Demony)

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