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Nearly thirty million consumers in the UK who acquired an Apple Inc. or Samsung Electronics mobile phone from 2015 and 2024 could be able to about seventeen pounds each if a buyer advocacy organization prevails in its legal action against the American corporation Qualcomm Inc..

Legal Action Begins Today

The campaign is escalating the tech giant to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London this week.

The legal proceedings between the advocacy organization and Qualcomm is projected to last around 35 days.

The group is claiming the semiconductor firm of anti-competitive practices.

The group asserts that the firm forced Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics to pay high fees and royalty payments for necessary phone parts, which then pushed up the expense of those devices for consumers.

What the Trial Will Decide

The legal proceedings beginning on Monday will focus on whether Qualcomm had control and, should that be the case, whether it abused a dominant position.

In the event that the watchdog is successful in its claim, there will be a subsequent step aiming to obtain £480m from the tech firm, to be divided between an estimated twenty-nine million UK consumers affected.

The body is claiming compensation for all impacted Apple & Samsung Electronics smartphones purchased between October 1, 2015 and early January 2024.

The watchdog says this would probably work out at approximately seventeen pounds per person.

Earlier Legal Challenges and The Firm's Statement

The chipmaker has previously stated the case has "no basis".

A similar case against the tech giant is currently underway in the Canadian courts, and the company has also in the past been fined by the EU for antitrust violations.

The FTC in the America filed a case against the company for anti-competitive behavior in the way it authorized use of its patents in 2017, but had its case dismissed in 2020.

Significance of the Case

The chief executive of the organization remarked: "This trial is a significant event. It illustrates how the collective strength of consumers - represented by our organization - can be used to make the biggest companies to answer should they misuse their dominant position."

The chipmaker is one of the leading producers of mobile processors and has been subject to accusations about restrictive conduct previously.

• Affected devices include Apple and Samsung phones purchased between 2015 and 2024.
• The overall compensation being sought is £480 million.
• Each payment is expected to be approximately seventeen pounds.
• The legal action is taking place at the specialist court in London.