Since 2017 Apple and Qualcomm have continued to feud at the Green Table with various lawsuits. But now they have finally reconciled (again).
The peace between the two occurred out of court, namely related to Apple's petition asking for the cancellation of certain patents belonging to Qualcomm. This problem has been going on for years, and has not been resolved even though the two have reconciled several times.
Previously, Apple petitioned the US patent agency (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) to cancel some of Qualcomm's patents, which are the key to the feud between the two companies.
But this peace prevented Apple from continuing the petition, which questioned the validity of Qualcomm's patents.
The peace between Apple and Qualcomm previously occurred in April 2019, where the two resolved issues related to the patent of the modem used in the iPhone. At that time, Apple paid Qualcomm some money, and the two then signed a patent licensing agreement that was valid for six years.
Qualcomm will also supply components for the iPhone for a number of years, which may mean Apple will return to using Qualcomm-made modems in its devices.
The root of the problem is Apple's accusations against Qualcomm that it charges too high for basic patents that are so important in mobile phones. Qualcomm was accused of taking advantage of its position as a major supplier of mobile phone modems and setting prices that are too high.
After the peace, Apple could return to using modem chips from Qualcomm after previously being forced to use modems from Intel which proved to be of lower quality.
