🔗 Share this article Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics Customers Could Be Eligible for a Piece of a 480 million pound Payout in the UK Close to 30 million people in the UK who purchased an Apple Inc. and/or Samsung Electronics mobile phone between the year 2015 to 2024 might be eligible to about 17 pounds per claimant if a consumer campaign group prevails in its lawsuit against the American technology firm Qualcomm. Legal Action Starts Today The consumer group is escalating the tech giant to the specialized court in the UK capital starting Monday. The trial between the watchdog and the chipmaker is projected to continue for five weeks. The organization is claiming the tech firm of unfair competition. It claims that the corporation compelled Apple & Samsung to pay excessive costs and patent charges for critical phone parts, which then increased the cost of those smartphones for buyers. The Details the Legal Action Will Examine The trial commencing on Monday will focus on whether Qualcomm held control and, should that be the case, whether it exploited a leading role. If the advocacy organization is victorious, there will be a subsequent step aiming to obtain £480 million from Qualcomm, to be allocated to an approximate 29 million British phone owners affected. The consumer group is claiming compensation for all impacted Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics handsets acquired between the start of October 2015 and 9 January 2024. The watchdog says this would almost certainly calculate at approximately 17 pounds per person. Previous Cases and The Firm's Position Qualcomm has in the past said the claim has "no foundation". A comparable case against the tech giant is in progress in the Canadian courts, and the corporation has also earlier been sanctioned by the European Union for anti-competition violations. The US regulator in the America took legal action against the company for anti-competitive behavior in the way it licensed its technology in 2017, but had its claim thrown out in 2020. Impact of the Case The head of the consumer group remarked: "This legal action is a huge moment. It illustrates how the influence of buyers - backed by our organization - can be used to require the largest corporations to be accountable if they exploit their leading role." Qualcomm is one of the world's biggest producers of handset semiconductors and has encountered claims about unfair practices previously. Eligible handsets include Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics phones acquired between the end of 2015 and 2024. The overall compensation demanded is £480 million. Individual payout is expected to be around seventeen pounds. The case is being held at the CAT in the UK capital.