The ongoing dispute between Apple and Qualcomm appears to be getting uglier today as Bloomberg reports that the supplier is seeking a ban on iPhone imports in the United States. Last week Qualcomm lowered its profit forecast over Apple withholding royalty payments during the ongoing legal battle between the two companies.
Further details are not yet available, but CNBC says Apple declined to comment on the reported ban Qualcomm is said to be seeking.
The dispute between Apple and Qualcomm started earlier this year when the FTC filed a complaint alleging that Qualcomm forced Apple to use its baseband chips for higher patent royalties. Apple then followed with a $1 billion lawsuit against Qualcomm after the monopoly complaint.
Qualcomm said the lawsuit was founded on baseless claims and accused Apple of misrepresenting facts, and openly discussed a countersuit while saying that it hopes business continues as usual.
Last month, however, Qualcomm countersued Apple after spending a third of its January earnings call discussing the Apple situation.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has publicly discussed being open to settling the legal dispute with Qualcomm, although he expects the legal battle to be a lengthy one. We’ll update with details as they become available.
