Qualcomm Says Apple Is $7 Billion Behind In Royalty Payments

Last Friday in federal court, Qualcomm lawyer Evan Chesler said Apple is $7 billion dollars behind in royalties. 'They're trying to destroy our business,' he said. 'The house is on fire and there is $7 billion of property damage right now.' Bloomberg reports: Qualcomm wants as many as 56 patent-related claims and counterclaims cut from a lawsuit with Apple and its Asian manufacturers, arguing that these are just a sideshow to the broader licensing dispute between the companies. Apple, through its manufacturers, halted royalty payments to Qualcomm last year and the tech giants' showdown has escalated into some 100 legal proceedings around the world. Apple argues that Qualcomm is using its intellectual property to bully customers into paying excessive royalties even as it tries to duck scrutiny over whether its patents are valid. 'You can't just let Qualcomm walk away from this,' Apple's lawyer, Ruffin Cordell, told the judge at Friday's hearing.

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