Ever since January of last year, Qualcomm and Apple have been fighting back and forth over unpaid royalties, patent disputes, and more. In an attempt to make peace between the two entities, Qualcomm is updating its licensing terms for mobile network technologies to give Apple more tech at the same price.
A good deal of Qualcomm's profit comes from its patents/licenses, but as we've seen over the past few months, this has caused tensions with not only Apple, but Huawei and Samsung as well.
With these patents, customers (like Apple and Huawei) have the option of purchasing one of two options – a full set that charges them 5% the cost of their handset or a "standard essential patent" with a more affordable 3.25% rate.
That standard option only includes licenses needed for mobile networks, and instead of lowering the rate of the full option, Qualcomm's adding patents for 5G to the standard one and making it so customers don't have to buy both plans to ensure their devices work the way they should.
Qualcomm reiterates that it's not lowering its prices, with Qualcomm's Head of Licensing, Alex Rogers, saying –
We have not lowered the rate. What we're doing is including more technology, more intellectual property in the offering without increasing the price.
It remains to be seen if this move will be enough for Qualcomm to settle its ongoing disputes, but this certainly seems like a step in that direction.
Apple hits Qualcomm with countersuit for infringing on battery patents
Post a Comment