Qualcomm seeks to ban iPhone sales in US for infringement of 6 patents

In its latest legal battle, Qualcomm has asked the US government to ban the sale of Apple iPhones since the phone manufacturer infringed its patented technology.

The chipmaker on Thursday (6 July) said it has filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) and the US District Court for the Southern District of California, alleging Apple's iPhones infringe six of its patents. The lawsuit filed in the US District Court seeks damages and injunctive relief.

Qualcomm claims those six patents enable high performance in a smartphone while extending battery life.

The company has also requested the ITC to launch an investigation into Apple's imports and issue a Limited Exclusive Order (LEO) to bar importation of iPhones and other products into the US.

The ITC is expected to begin the investigation in August and the case will be tried next year.

It is also seeking the LEO against iPhones which use cellular baseband processors supplied by Qualcomm's affiliates.

In addition, it is also seeking a Cease and Desist Order to ban the sales of Apple products and to stop marketing, advertising, demonstration, warehousing of inventory and use of those imported products in the US.

"Qualcomm's inventions are at the heart of every iPhone and extend well beyond modem technologies or cellular standards," Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm, said in a statement issued on Thursday (6 July).

"The patents we are asserting represent six important technologies, out of a portfolio of thousands, and each is vital to iPhone functions.

"Apple continues to use Qualcomm's technology while refusing to pay for it. These lawsuits seek to stop Apple's infringement of six of our patented technologies," said Rosenberg.