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Nearly 30 million people in the United Kingdom who purchased an Apple Inc. and/or Samsung Electronics smartphone from 2015 and 2024 could be entitled to around 17 pounds per claimant if a buyer advocacy organization is successful in its case against the American corporation Qualcomm Inc..

Legal Action Commences On Monday

The advocacy organization is bringing the technology corporation to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London now.

The case between the watchdog and Qualcomm is anticipated to run for over a month.

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

The allegation is that the corporation forced Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics to pay excessive costs and royalty payments for necessary mobile hardware, which then increased the cost of those devices for users.

What the Case Will Determine

The legal proceedings beginning on Monday will focus on whether Qualcomm had control and, if proven, whether it misused a powerful stance.

Should the consumer group is successful in its claim, there will be a subsequent step requesting £480m from the tech firm, to be divided between an projected 29 million British smartphone users involved.

The body is pursuing restitution for all affected Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics mobile phones bought between the start of October 2015 and early January 2024.

The group estimates this would likely calculate at approximately 17 pounds per person.

Past Legal Challenges and The Firm's Statement

Qualcomm has earlier stated the case has "little merit".

A parallel claim against Qualcomm is currently underway in Canada, and the corporation has also previously been fined by the EU for antitrust practices.

The Federal Trade Commission in the US filed a case against the company for restrictive tactics in the way it authorized use of its patents during 2017, but had its case thrown out in the year 2020.

Significance of the Case

The chief executive of the watchdog stated: "This trial is a major milestone. It shows how the collective strength of consumers - backed by the group - can be used to make the largest corporations to answer if they abuse their market power."

The chipmaker is one of the leading manufacturers of handset semiconductors and has faced allegations about unfair practices in the past.

• Qualifying smartphones include Apple Inc. & Samsung models bought between the end of 2015 and 2024.
• The total payout requested is £480 million.
• Individual payout is estimated to be about seventeen pounds.
• The case is being held at the specialist court in the UK capital.