🔗 Share this article Apple Inc. & Samsung Electronics Customers May Be Due for a Share of a £480m Compensation in the Britain Close to thirty million people in the Britain who acquired an Apple or Samsung Electronics mobile phone between 2015 and the year 2024 may be able to around £17 per person in the event that a buyer watchdog is successful in its lawsuit against the American technology firm Qualcomm Inc.. Legal Action Starts On Monday The consumer group is bringing the technology corporation to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London starting Monday. The trial involving the consumer group and the chipmaker is anticipated to continue for around 35 days. The body is accusing the chip company of anti-competitive practices. The allegation is that the corporation pressured Apple Inc. & Samsung to pay excessive costs and licensing fees for necessary phone parts, which then pushed up the price of those mobile phones for users. What the Legal Action Will Examine The legal proceedings beginning this week will examine whether Qualcomm had market power and, if so, whether it exploited a powerful stance. Should the watchdog is successful in its claim, there will be a second stage aiming to obtain £480m from Qualcomm, to be allocated to an projected twenty-nine million UK consumers impacted. The consumer group is pursuing restitution for all impacted Apple Inc. and Samsung handsets purchased between 1 October 2015 and January 9, 2024. The watchdog states this would almost certainly amount at around 17 pounds each. Past Cases and Qualcomm's Position The chipmaker has earlier stated the case has "little merit". A similar claim against Qualcomm is in progress in Canada, and the firm has also previously been penalized by the European Union for antitrust breaches. The US regulator in the US filed a case against the firm for restrictive tactics in the way it licensed its patents during 2017, but had its claim dismissed in 2020. Impact of the Case The head of the watchdog stated: "This case is a huge moment. It shows how the influence of the public - represented by us - can be used to require the major firms to account when they abuse their leading role." The firm is one of the world's biggest producers of mobile processors and has encountered allegations about restrictive conduct before. Eligible devices include Apple & Samsung Electronics models purchased between October 2015 and 2024. The claimed amount demanded is 480 million pounds. Individual payout is estimated to be around seventeen pounds. The trial is being held at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the UK capital.