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Nearly 30 million people in the United Kingdom who bought an Apple Inc. or Samsung smartphone between 2015 and 2024 may be eligible to approximately £17 each should a customer watchdog wins in its lawsuit against the American technology firm Qualcomm Inc..

Trial Commences This Week

The campaign is bringing the tech giant to the specialized court in the UK capital starting Monday.

The case between the advocacy organization and the chipmaker is anticipated to last five weeks.

The group is accusing the chip company of unfair competition.

It claims that the corporation compelled Apple and Samsung Electronics to pay inflated prices and patent charges for essential phone parts, which then increased the expense of those mobile phones for consumers.

Key Points the Legal Action Will Determine

The case commencing this week will examine whether Qualcomm possessed dominance and, if proven, whether it misused a dominant position.

Should the watchdog is successful in its claim, there will be a second stage seeking £480m from the tech firm, to be allocated to an estimated 29 million British smartphone users impacted.

The body is pursuing restitution for all affected Apple & Samsung Electronics smartphones bought between 1 October 2015 and 9 January 2024.

The group estimates this would probably calculate at about seventeen pounds each.

Earlier Allegations and The Firm's Position

The company has earlier said the legal action has "no foundation".

A parallel case against the tech giant is in progress in Canada, and the company has also earlier been sanctioned by the European Union for anti-competition violations.

The Federal Trade Commission in the US took legal action against the firm for restrictive tactics in the way it sold rights to its patents in 2017, but had its claim dismissed in 2020.

Importance of the Trial

The CEO of the organization commented: "This trial is a major milestone. It shows how the power of consumers - supported by our organization - can be used to require the biggest companies to be accountable when they misuse their leading role."

The chipmaker is one of the largest global producers of handset semiconductors and has been subject to claims about restrictive conduct previously.

• Affected handsets include Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics products bought between 2015 and 2024.
• The total payout being sought is 480 million pounds.
• Per-person payment is expected to be around £17.
• The case is being held at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London.