🔗 Share this article Apple and Samsung Electronics Owners Might Be Due for a Portion of a £480m Payment in the UK Nearly thirty million people in the United Kingdom who purchased an Apple Inc. or Samsung mobile phone between 2015 and 2024 might be able to approximately £17 each in the event that a customer advocacy organization wins in its lawsuit against the American technology firm Qualcomm. Legal Action Commences This Week The advocacy organization is escalating the tech giant to the specialized court in the UK capital starting Monday. The trial involving the consumer group and Qualcomm is projected to run for around 35 days. The organization is claiming the chip company of restrictive behavior. It claims that the company compelled Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics to pay inflated prices and licensing fees for essential phone parts, which then raised the price of those mobile phones for users. Key Points the Legal Action Will Decide The case starting on Monday will focus on whether Qualcomm had control and, if so, whether it exploited a dominant position. Should the consumer group is victorious, there will be a subsequent step requesting £480 million from the tech firm, to be allocated to an projected 29 million British consumers affected. The consumer group is pursuing restitution for all impacted Apple and Samsung smartphones acquired between October 1, 2015 and 9 January 2024. The group estimates this would likely calculate at about seventeen pounds per person. Previous Legal Challenges and Qualcomm's Response Qualcomm has in the past claimed the claim has "no foundation". A comparable legal action against Qualcomm is in progress in Canada, and the company has also in the past been sanctioned by the European Union for anti-competition practices. The Federal Trade Commission in the America took legal action against the firm for restrictive tactics in the way it licensed its patents in the year 2017, but had its legal action dismissed in 2020. Significance of the Trial The head of the watchdog stated: "This case is a major milestone. It illustrates how the power of consumers - represented by the group - can be used to require the major firms to answer if they misuse their dominant position." The chipmaker is one of the largest global producers of handset semiconductors and has encountered allegations about anti-competitive behaviour before. Affected handsets include Apple Inc. and Samsung products purchased between October 2015 and January 2024. The total payout requested is £480m. Individual payment is expected to be approximately seventeen pounds. The case is proceeding at the CAT in London.