After winning the first jury trial against Apple in San Diego earlier this month, Qualcomm has lodged two legal shots at Apple regarding infringements on its patents. As a result, a US Trade judge has recommended a ban on some iPhone models after Apple was found violating a Qualcomm patent.
The US International Trade Commission on Tuesday said Apple has infringed a patent from Qualcomm while invalidating another Qualcomm patent regarding a battery-saving feature. International Trade Commission Judge MaryJoan McNamara recommended a ban on import of some iPhone models, although McNamara’s rulings are still to be reviewed by the ITC.
In the case presented before McNamara, Qualcomm argued that iPhones with Intel chipsets have infringed two patents regarding the speed and quality of data while one was related to a power-saving feature. The case was to seed an order that would ban Apple from importing iPhones. While it’s unclear which of the iPhones will be banned in the process, it’s believed that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus will be affected once the court finalises a ruling.
In a separate decision issued by the ITC, Qualcomm’s complaints about the battery-saving patent were rejected. It’s believed that this could also have affected the defeat in the iPhone ban that Apple is expected to witness. The commission is expected to conclude the full investigation by July this year.
Earlier this month, Qualcomm won the first jury trial at the San Diego Federal Court against Apple as it proved that the Cupertino company had infringed three of its patents without paying a dime. The American chipmaker will now be paid $31.6 million in damages by Apple which translates to $1.41 for every iPhone sold since July 2017. The recent rulings are a part of the two-year feud between these two companies after Qualcomm claimed that the Cupertino company infringed three of its patents that lead to the iPhone’s market success.