Slashdot Mirror
Apple Expands Qualcomm Legal Spat To China (cnet.com)
Apple's legal battle with Qualcomm has gone international. From a report: The iPhone maker on Wednesday filed two lawsuits against Qualcomm in China, according to Reuters, which cited a press release from Beijing's Intellectual Property Court. The first alleges that Qualcomm "abused its clout in the chip industry," a violation of China's anti-monopoly law. Apple seeks 1 billion yuan ($145.32 million) in damages, Reuters said. The second accuses Qualcomm of not making its cellular standard essential patents available broadly and cheaply. It asks the court to determine the terms of a patent license between Qualcomm and Apple.
Chinese law requires outside businesses to have partners owning 50% of any local ventures. They made an exception in Apple's case. They can pull that exception damn fast and Apple can find itself losing half of all assets (and profits) from Chinese operations.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Apple doesn't agree that it should be a percentage of the device's price. They seem cheap phones with the same tech in them paying say $0.20 and Apple paying $5.00 for that same thing because the iPhone is more expensive than some cheap feature phone (the tech they are talking about is LTE or the like). I actually agree a bit with Apple (for once). Why would that same tech cost different amounts when the same chip is being used?
Nowhere in the constitution does the phrase "fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory" appear wrt patents. To the contrary, it's all about exclusivity, baby. When the constitution was written, the pace of change wasn't as rapid as it was today, so a couple of decades of exclusivity was no big deal - now a couple of decades is all the time before the original invention is rendered totally obsolete anyway.
If the licensing fees are too high, create an alternative - that's how it works everywhere. Steak costs too much? Substitute chicken. Chicken costs too much? Substitute "processed food-like stuff."
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
FRAND. Look it up, and then sit quietly in the "I don't know what I'm talking about" corner.
It may appear in agreements, but those are VOLUNTARY patent pools - NOT obligations imposed by law. Go suck Fabien Mueller's cock some more, troll.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Why would that same tech cost different amounts when the same chip is being used?
Why would I charge a school production a different amount to use a photo than i would a hollywood blockbuster movie?
Same reason.
This sort of licensing is REALLY common in patent licensing, especially FRAND patent licensing. It allows for all kinds of niceties -- small players with inexpensive products can afford the patents. Hobbyists who are giving away the product for free can afford the patents. And Apple with a piggy bank heading towards a trillion dollars can afford the patents.
The more you profit from the IP the more the IP costs you. But its always affordable because its a tiny slice of whatever you are charging. $5 on an 800 phone? For crucial wireless network technology that makes the thing function. QQ apple.
Apple is free to create its own wireless networking standards, roll out its own wireless networking infrastructure around the globe. And do it all without standing on the shoulders of those who came before them. Or it can pay $5 to put their $800 phone on the the netword, $2.50 to put their $400 phone on the network, and can cry themselves to sleep that someone in China selling a dumbphone for $20 is only paying 12.5 cents to put it on the network.
On the other hand, if apple wants to release a 20$ cellular device they too will only have to pay 12.5 cents. Of course, the only thing apple sells for 20$ are the USB adapters connect to their stuff. But that's not Qualcom's problem.
Chartging based on a percentage is not the only complaint against Qualcomm. Also, this is Chinese law.
So what? Those are for people who buy a license from the pool. There is NOTHING to stop a member of the patent pool to also license their patents outside the pool under their own terms and conditions - there is no exclusivity.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.