🔗 Share this article Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Customers May Be Due for a Share of a £480m Payment in the United Kingdom Nearly thirty million people in the Britain who purchased an Apple Inc. and/or Samsung smartphone between the year 2015 to the year 2024 could be entitled to approximately seventeen pounds per person should a buyer advocacy organization prevails in its case against the US tech giant Qualcomm. Legal Action Commences This Week The consumer group is escalating the firm to the specialized court in the UK capital this week. The legal proceedings between the watchdog and Qualcomm is expected to last five weeks. The organization is alleging the semiconductor firm of restrictive behavior. It claims that the company pressured Apple & Samsung to pay excessive costs and licensing fees for essential mobile hardware, which then raised the expense of those mobile phones for consumers. What the Case Will Decide The trial commencing this week will focus on whether Qualcomm possessed market power and, if proven, whether it exploited a leading role. Should the advocacy organization is victorious, there will be a follow-up phase seeking £480 million from Qualcomm, to be divided between an approximate 29 million UK smartphone users involved. The consumer group is claiming compensation for all eligible Apple & Samsung mobile phones bought between October 1, 2015 and 9 January 2024. The group says this would likely calculate at around 17 pounds per person. Earlier Cases and The Firm's Statement Qualcomm has in the past claimed the legal action has "no basis". A parallel case against the tech giant is currently underway in Canada, and the corporation has also previously been sanctioned by the European Union for antitrust breaches. The US regulator in the America took legal action against the corporation for unfair practices in the way it authorized use of its technology during the year 2017, but had its case thrown out in 2020. Impact of the Case The CEO of the consumer group commented: "This trial is a huge moment. It illustrates how the power of the public - backed by us - can be used to require the biggest companies to be accountable when they abuse their dominant position." The firm is one of the world's biggest manufacturers of mobile processors and has been subject to allegations about anti-competitive behaviour before. Eligible devices include Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics phones purchased between the end of 2015 and the start of 2024. The overall compensation being sought is 480 million pounds. Individual payout is projected to be around seventeen pounds. The legal action is taking place at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London.