Apple files countersuit against Qualcomm for battery patent infringement

Apple and Qualcomm have been duking it out in an extended legal battle against one another for the better part of a year over licensing fee disputes between the two companies. Apple says that Qualcomm charges ridiculous licensing fees and Qualcomm has done everything they can in retaliation. Back in July, Qualcomm filed a complaint with the ITC over sales of the iPhone in the US, which the regulatory body agreed to investigate.

Apple denies that it has infringed on Qualcomm’s patents, alleging that such patents were invalid. Now the company has revised the original answer to the suit with a U.S. District Court in San Diego. Apple says that at least of its own battery life patents have been violated by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 and 820 processors, which were used to power most popular flagship Android devices in 2015 and 2016.

Apple says its patents surrounding ensuring that the processor in a device only draws minimum power and turns off parts when not needed were violated.

“Apple began seeking those patents years before Qualcomm began seeking the patents it asserts against Apple in this case.”

Qualcomm filed its original battery countersuit back in July before it made the official complaints to the ITC in an attempt to get iPhone sales halted in the US. Since then, they’ve spent a considerable amount of time highlighting Android firsts in an effort to undermine Apple’s iPhone X marketing.