Apple and Qualcomm have reached an impasse in the dispute regarding iPhone patent royalties, so a court date has finally been set by a federal judge in San Diego, for April 5, 2019.
The San Diego Union-Tribune says that both sides have been unable to reach a settlement in the latest case between the tech companies.
Qualcomm has accused Apple of stealing its wireless technology and proprietary code and sharing it with rival chipmaker Intel who went on to be Apple’s exclusive ship maker for its latest range.
Qualcomm wanted to proceed to court earlier in February, however, the US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel set the April date, citing the complexity of the situation, and to “accommodate the court’s schedule.”
This suit is the latest in a sleuth of back and forth claims between Apple and Qualcomm. Most recently Apple insisted that they were not in talks “at any level” with the chipset maker.
Qualcomm has also claimed that Apple owes them over US$9.5 billion in patent royalty payments and four of Apple’s contract manufacturers have sued Qualcomm for antitrust allegations, and Apple has since joined the suit.
Qualcomm has also been hit by the European Union with a €997 million (US$1.23 billion) antitrust fine, for payments it made to Apple for chip exclusivity.
Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission also fined Qualcomm USD $773 million for alleged antitrust violations over how it prices and licenses its patents for at least 7 years.
Qualcomm has maintained the position that its patents go beyond chipsets and that its licensing procedure is valid.
The FTC are also pursuing an antitrust case against Qualcomm that is scheduled for Jan. 4 in U.S. District Court in San Jose. The outcome of that case could influence the federal case against the chipmaker. Qualcomm and the FTC have both said they are pursuing a settlement.